From drones to FLOCK cameras, new technology is helping the Newport Beach Police Department keep our community safe.

The Newport Beach City Council has given our Police Department a number of new technology tools to help protect and serve our community. Drones have become an integral part of our operations, and now officers can use them to assess a situation quickly and safely, with the launch of our drones-as-first-responders program.

Not even a year into installing FLOCK license plate reading cameras throughout Newport Beach, the results have proven both the worth and the need for the investment. Below are just a few examples of the success of the program as well as the exemplary work of our officers and detectives:

Arrests of Residential Burglary Suspects in Newport Coast

In May, a residential burglary occurred in Newport Coast, resulting in a property loss of approximately $1.3 million. Evidence was limited, and surveillance video only captured brief images of two masked male suspects. NBPD detectives reviewed FLOCK camera data and identified a lead on a suspect vehicle. That license plate was determined to be cold-plated (the plate was stolen from a similar victim vehicle). Review of hundreds of Flock images led to successfully locating the correct license plate affixed to the suspect vehicle as it entered the City before the burglary. Detectives then located the vehicle and the suspects on video surveillance from a nearby hotel, outside of Newport Beach. This investigation ultimately resulted in five arrests, approximately $82,000 worth of property recovered, and approximately 19 firearms seized.

Arrest of CdM Main Beach Shooting Suspect

Earlier this year, NBPD officers responded to CdM Main Beach for a report of gunshots being fired and found evidence of two separate firearms being utilized in an exchange of gunfire, one of which was discarded into a bush by one of the suspects. Our investigation identified one of the shooters as a 15-year-old juvenile who is a known member of a criminal street gang in Anaheim with prior crimes of violence on his record. The second shooter was identified as a 21-year-old male from Santa Ana, also a known member of a Santa Ana criminal street gang, with a prior weapon offense. Working leads and through exhaustive investigative techniques, intelligence was gathered that led to a vehicle that the second shooter often traveled in, and the vehicle information was placed into the FLOCK system. Approximately a week later, when the vehicle was caught on FLOCK cameras entering Newport Beach, patrol officers were able to stop it and place the second shooter under arrest.

ATM Bomber Arrest

This summer, NBPD officers received a FLOCK hit of a felony vehicle on Old Newport Blvd. The information received advised that the occupants were considered armed and dangerous, with links to transnational organized crime, and were wanted in connection with several bank robberies and 31 ATM bombings. Officers located in the area at the time of the notification quickly saturated the surrounding streets and neighborhoods and conducted a high-traffic stop. All occupants were taken into custody without incident. It was later learned that the male suspect had been linked to multiple murders outside of the US, as well as previously throwing tire deflation spikes at and firing on Los Angeles officers during pursuits.

Officer Involved Shooting

Last week, NBPD officers were alerted by FLOCK of a stolen vehicle approaching Newport Beach from Laguna Beach. The vehicle was related to a carjacking from Carlsbad, where the victim was shot and killed by the suspect. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but it did not stop, and a pursuit began, continuing onto Interstate 5 Southbound, where the suspect exited at El Toro Road, got out of his vehicle, and immediately began firing at the approaching police vehicles. Newport Beach and Irvine Officers returned fire, striking and killing the suspect.