Mt. Juliet’s Guardian Shield Automated License Plate Recognition program has surpassed 100 successful interceptions since the start of the program on April 1, 2020. In total, off the initial alert, 57 stolen cars, 30 stolen license plates, and two stolen trailers have been recovered. Guardian Shield also alerted officers to 11 wanted persons and one missing juvenile, who were also recovered, including a TBI Most Wanted murder suspect and a murder suspect from Louisiana.
Those initial alerts and investigations led to an additional 25 wanted persons, four stolen guns, four stolen cars operating with stolen plates, 30 incidents involving drugs, 21 driver’s license violations, two stolen plates, and missing juvenile.
Top interceptions include:
- 4/15/2020 – An adult from Antioch was arrested on a warrant for Felony Aggravated Robbery (armed) out of Clarksville, TN after Guardian Shield alerted officers to his vehicle. After following, officers took him into custody when he parked his car at a home off Hobson Pk.
- 4/28/2020 – Guardian Shield was used to assist in the capture of a murder suspect from Louisiana, located at a local hotel. THP ultimately made the arrest, but it was a group effort. After being notified by Louisiana that the suspect was in TN, the system was queried and confirmed he was in the city.
- 7/17/2020 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to an SUV known to be operated by a most wanted fugitive. Officers intercepted the vehicle on Mt. Juliet Rd near Lebanon Rd. The fugitive was wanted by Springfield PD & TN Bureau of Investigation for 1st Degree Murder, was apprehended.
- 8/3/2020 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to a 2007 Mercury Mountaineer stolen from Nashville on 7/21 during an armed robbery. Officers intercepted the vehicle on Lebanon Rd near Park Glen. 2 adult males & 2 adult females were apprehended, & they had meth, heroin, & LSD.
- 8/17/2020 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to a 2019 Ford F350 pick-up stolen from Texas on 7/30/2020. Officers intercepted the vehicle on N Mt Juliet Rd near Woodridge Pl. 1 adult male, also a fugitive from justice for felony fraud out of Texas was apprehended.
- 1/8/2021 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to a Toyota Prius stolen during an armed carjacking in Nashville on 1/6. Officers intercepted the vehicle on MJ Rd near Division St & deployed spikes. After a short, low-speed pursuit, an adult male surrendered & was arrested.
- 1/17/2021 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to a license plate associated with a Clarksville wanted person. Officers intercepted the vehicle near Lebanon Rd & Medearis Dr. A 46-year-old male was apprehended on Aggravated Armed Robbery & Theft warrants.
- 2/13/2021 – Guardian Shield alerted officers to a ’16 Honda CRV stolen from Nashville on 1/25. Officers intercepted the vehicle on Mt. Juliet Rd near Division St. After an attempted box, the driver fled, quickly blew a tire, & officers pursued to Sante Fe Trl near Lebanon Rd.
While impossible to track what crime has been prevented, the main priority the department deployed an ALPR program was to tackle the growing number of vehicle theft and vehicle burglary incidents in the community. The overwhelming majority of the suspects in those incidents were using stolen cars from Nashville as a mode of transportation to commit the crime sprees. After the implementation of Guardian Shield, Mt. Juliet’s vehicle theft is down 36%, and vehicle burglaries are down 48% when reviewing data from the last six months of 2019 to the last six months of 2020.
Not all alerts result in a successful interception, but officers ensure the alerted criminal activity is no longer active within the community. Typically, in those circumstances, a criminal-activity-involved hotlisted license plate enters the community and quickly exits, or officers find the vehicle, and the driver flees.
To learn more about Mt. Juliet’s Guardian Shield program, you can visit this link: http://mjpd.org/1561/Guardian-Shield-ALPR .
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