Monterey Police Chief Says License Cameras Will Help Keep Town Safe

Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph said he requested the purchase of license plate cameras to identify stolen or wanted vehicles.

Randolph said the cameras are connected to databases. They alert an officer’s phone when reported tags enter the town.

“We’ve recovered several of them over the last few years without any car readers just by traffic stops are somebody calling in on a particular vehicle,” Randolph said. “We actually dealt with one a couple of weeks ago.”

Randolph said a stolen trailer out of Knox County was found at a Monterey gas station through a routine stop. Monterey’s proposed budget includes the purchase of two cameras to be located near the interstate exits.

“I just thought it would be an added benefit and security measure for the people of Monterey to have those tag readers there,” Randolph said.

Randolph said many departments around Monterey use similar cameras. Randolph said from his conversations, the gear has been useful in identifying wanted vehicles.

Randolph said the cameras have nothing to do with speeding.