McLean Police Get New Crime Fighter

The Fairfax County Police Department has a new crime fighter: A camera mounted on their cars that can read license plates in a flash to tell officers if a car is stolen or wanted in connection with a crime.

"It will help us catch more bad guys," said Lt. Mike McAllister, assistant commander of the McLean District, which now has four of the new camera-mounted cars.

"They are invaluable because it can see many  more license (plates) than a lone police officer can," McAllister said.

Fairfax County has become the latest police department to get the new crime fighting equipment. The cars with the cameras started arriving six months ago and  four were given to each of the eight police districts within the county. Federal money pays for the cars, said Capt. Steve Thompson who explained the new equipment to the Citizens Advisory Council of the McLean District.

'You can get results in five seconds," Thompson said. "You get an alert tone if there is a hit," he explained.

The camera is linked to a computer that is linked to the Virginia Crime Information Network and to the National Crime Information Center, McAllister said. The cameras scan license plates looking for stolen cars, stolen plates, plates wanted in connection to an outstanding warrant or in connection to a police lookout.

"It's a neat tool for our officers," McAllister said.

The department is still determining the effectiveness of the cameras.