According to longtime neighbors in Kingsville, many have seen crime occur in city limits.
“There’s definitely a history of crime downtown," Kudos Coffee owner Cyrus Obregon said.
Since he opened up his coffee shop, he's seen all types of crime, from cars being stolen and even fellow businesses being robbed.
“Once every year or every couple of years the owner right here across the street has some issues with kids breaking into her shop and stuff like that," he said when speaking about crime downtown. "I know Oliver’s Jewelry down the street had a break-in about a year or so ago."
The Kingsville Police Department got a wind of this and with the help of their license plate readers (LPR's), they were able to arrest the criminal who stole from them.
“Because of (the readers) we were able to pinpoint the individual who was involved and the Kingsville Police Department ended up catching them with the jewelry in their vehicle," Kingsville Police Lieutenant Michael Chavana said.
Being able to read 2,000 plates per minute with an accuracy rate of 90%, these LPR's can find out if a vehicle is stolen, locate a missing person, or maybe even a person of interest.
“We just had one that was caught on the highway that was wanted for murder in another state," Chavana said. "Because of the LPR systems, one of our officers was able to pick him up, did the traffic stop and took him into custody."
Currently, the department plans to add more vehicles to keep neighbors here safe. When KRIS 6 Neighborhood News reporter Tyrese Boone spoke with neighbors here, they said they are happy about the new equipment.
“Knowing there’s cameras other than what business owners might have in their business would help a lot," Obregon said. "It’s a security for business owners mentally. We feel a little more comfortable.”
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