New license plate reader helps catch man carrying an illegal stun gun in Westwood, MA

The article below is using a Vigilant Solutions ALPR system installed by Ayacht Technology Solutions.

By Max Bowen
mbowen@wickedlocal.com

June 09. 2014 10:00PM

New license plate reader helps catch man carrying an illegal stun gun

With the use of a new Automated License Plate Reader [ALPR], Westwood Police arrested a man allegedly in possession of an illegal 2 million-volt stun gun, according to a press release sent from the department.

Francis Belotti, 38, of Franklin, was arrested and charged with possession of the stun gun, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and operating a motor vehicle with a revoked registration.

“Nothing positive can come from an unlicensed driver in an illegal vehicle possessing an illegal weapon,” said Westwood Police Chief Jeffrey Silva in the press release.

ALPR’s are scanners that can read license plates and compare them to a list of wanted plates uploaded into a nationwide law enforcement database. If the reader detects a match for a wanted vehicle, it snaps a picture of the vehicle and the license plate. An alert message is sent to the officer’s computer in the police car.

Belotti was arrested and later released on bail. He was arraigned on Monday in Dedham District Court. He will return to the court at a date to be determined.

According to the release, Officer Michael DiLalla was on patrol Saturday at about 4:45 p.m. in the area of High Street and High Rock Lane, when his ALPR alerted him than an illegal vehicle had driven by. It was later determined that Belotti was the driver. When DiLalla received the alert, he immediately caught up to the vehicle, confirmed it was wanted, and attempted to stop it.

Although Belotti made an abrupt turn and reversed his direction as DiLalla was attempting to go after him, the officer was able to get behind the vehicle and pull it over on High Street by Churchill Road. According to the release, Belotti admitted knowing that he had no valid driver’s license, no insurance for the vehicle and that the registration was revoked. When the officer conducted an inventory search of the vehicle, he found a 2 million volt stun gun. Electric control devices such as stun guns are illegal in Massachusetts unless carried by or for law enforcement officials.

“While some people in town originally questioned the value of an ALPR, I knew that time would prove it to be a valuable tool,” said Silva. “Just four days after installing the unit, and thanks to some quick thinking by Officer DiLalla, I think that point is clear.”