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Notes: Alexandria Police Department working on expanding license plate reader program

By ALXnow.com

Good Friday morning, Alexandria!

🌧️ Today’s weather: Expect rain mainly after 2pm, with a high near 51 and a south wind at 5 to 9 mph. The precipitation chance is 80%, with new amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible. On Friday night, there’s a 50% chance of rain, mostly before 10pm, accompanied by patchy fog after 5am. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 46 and a south wind at 5 to 9 mph.

🚨 You need to know

Police searching along Four Mile Run for a wanted suspect (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department’s (APD) six license plate readers have been instrumental in everything from recovering stolen property to catching a fugitive, and now the department wants to expand the program, the Alexandria Times reported.

The Alexandria Times said APD’s plate readers have helped recover 22 stolen vehicles, been a part of 37 issued arrests or warrants, located two missing persons and recovered $350,000 in stolen property.

The plate readers have been in use at APD for more than a decade, but now APD is hoping to roll out 12 more readers as soon as they can be purchased and installed — part of a broader effort to combat an uptick in auto thefts.

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