After Redding police recently called on real-life community crime sleuths to help the public safety force solve a burglary, the department said their effort paid off.
It started on the morning of July 3, when police fielded a report from a business about the “theft of a bunch of alcohol,” said Redding Police Lt. Jon Sheldon.
Video captured on Butte and Market streets in downtown Redding near the business showed someone carrying a rainbow-colored stuffed animal shaped like a unicorn that had also been at the business, he said.
In cases like this one, where there was clear video of a likely suspect, “the detective will throw it on Facebook and see if the community can help out,” Sheldon said, especially if investigators can’t figure it out “through our normal means.”
It’s known as the police department’s “Can You Identify” effort, utilized when other police investigative approaches haven’t led to an arrest and there is sufficient private surveillance footage from a business to examine for clues.
“Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t,” said Sheldon about the department’s call-out for tips from the public that hopefully could lead to an arrest.
The approach also isn’t used frequently, only about once or twice a year on average. It’s also not a new program, one that’s been around for as long as the department’s had a social media presence.
“There really is no rhyme or reason to when we do it, depending on the cases and the officer working the case. It’s kind of an avenue that an individual detective or officer can take to try to get a person in their investigation positively identified,” said Sheldon.
“We don’t do it on every case,” he said, with the social media shout-outs being used to help solve “something that a lot of people are going to see and will hit home for a lot of people.”
The department’s first post, made mid-morning on July 3, got a lot of attention, registering 395 likes, 53 comments and 46 shares.
A follow-up post made six days later announced the arrest of burglary suspects in the case, two men aged 31 and 39, thanks in part to the number of tips received. “Again, we have the best citizens! After serving multiple search warrants today, the stuffed unicorn was not located, but we located and seized ammunition. Both suspects are convicted felons with an extensive criminal record which prohibits the possession of ammunition.”
“We were only able to make these arrests with the help of our citizens and security cameras in the area,” the post said.
Michele Chandler covers public safety, reports on major trials happening in Shasta County Superior Court, writes about restaurants and handles whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding police say public’s tips helped effort to nab 2 thieves
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
