Driving a stolen car in San Diego County got a little harder Monday.
The Sheriff’s Department added a new tool to its crime-fighting line-up in Valley Center: a car that uses built-in cameras to scan license plates for anything amiss of the law. The car automatically runs the plates against a database, searching for cars of wanted felons, stolen cars, missing persons and more.
The $78,673 car was funded by a grant from the Barona Band of Mission Indians, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and the Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee. The Sheriff’s Department already uses the technology, but this is the first car of its kind housed at the Valley Center substation.
