On Thursday, February 15, shortly after 3:00 a.m., Officers of the Kearney Police Department were notified by the Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras that a vehicle stolen out of Colorado was in Kearney. Within minutes of the report, KPD officers located the stolen vehicle and the driver at a gas station at 11th street and 2nd Avenue. The driver of the vehicle, identified as 25-year-old Wikeman Alexander Perez-Perez from Chicago, attempted to flee on foot but was caught by KPD Officers. After a brief struggle with officers, Perez-Perez was arrested and transported to Buffalo County Jail on multiple charges including Felony Assault on an Officer x2, Possession of Stolen Property, Obstruction of a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Criminal Impersonation.
Upon further investigation, officers learned the vehicle had recently been stolen during an armed home robbery in Denver, Colorado. KPD Officers located multiple loaded handguns, several stolen and fake identification documents and other stolen property inside the vehicle.
Flock ALPR’s are strategically located throughout the city and Buffalo County, assisting in locating stolen vehicles, people with arrest warrants, missing or endangered children and adults as well as identify suspect vehicles in crimes. ALPR’s enhance traditional policing methods allowing KPD to respond swiftly and safely to emerging threats to our community. The use of ALPR’s is strictly managed by department policy and state statute. Thanks to a quick and efficient notification by the Flock ALPR system, KPD officers were able to locate and recover a stolen vehicle, several firearms, and arrest the driver who is also a suspect in an armed robbery in Denver.
The successful resolution of this incident highlights the critical role technology, such as ALPR’s, play in law enforcement today. Kearney Police Department Officers and Investigators are working with Denver Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security on this incident. The cooperation between law enforcement agencies along with technology highlights KPD’s commitment to proactive crime prevention and community protection. This incident underscores the efforts of law enforcement officers supported by advanced technology and has once again demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive crime-fighting methods to ensure public safety. The quick action of our officers may have prevented harm and danger to others.
