The Cross-River Crime Task Force deployed its first detail on July 16, resulting in officers identifying a vehicle that had been stolen and one connected to a theft in Godfrey, among others.
“I am proud of the departments and officers that dedicated their time and energy to this task force deployment,” said task force commander Jeff Connor. “This was the first of many deployments and I look forward to future activations across Madison County. We hope and anticipate this type of police action will help our citizens feel safer as we strive to take action against those who violate our laws.”
According to a press release, police officers from 12 Madison County law enforcement agencies responded to the detail, which lasted six hours. Officers and dispatchers from the Alton Police Department monitored license plate readers (LPR) in the Alton area to search for potential law violation notifications.
The task force members searched for violations including stolen vehicles, stolen license plates and registered vehicle owners either wanted on warrants or with driver’s license violations.
During the detail, task force officers responded to LPR hits for a vehicle connected to a retail theft in Godfrey, a vehicle connected to an unlawful order of protection violation and a driver operating a vehicle on a suspended license.
Another LPR hit during the patrol identified a vehicle that had allegedly been stolen earlier in the day. Charges were presented to the St. Louis resident by the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force.
The Cross River Crime Task Force was created by Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine, who previously specified that the LPR technology used by the task force are not “red light cameras” and will not issue traffic citations.
The task force is comprised of law enforcement officials from the federal, state and local levels “with the goal of combining resources and manpower to protect Madison County from criminals who cross state lines to commit violent crimes.
The Mission of the Task Force states, “It is the mission of the Cross River Crime Task Force to use join county-wide operations to reduce crime flows into and through Madison County while working within an established electronic infrastructure (the license plate reader network) that was designed to balance legitimate law enforcement needs against the equally important interest in protecting individual privacy.”