SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ — Flock cameras were "instrumental" in locating a suspect after a hit-and-run crash that injured a boy last week, according to the Pinal County sheriff, who still plans to end the county's contract with the company that makes automated license plate readers.
Ethan Turner, 11, was riding a scooter on August 10 when he was struck by a vehicle in the Copper Basin neighborhood, which is in San Tan Valley.
"He was crossing Prospect, and a guy came barreling through our neighborhood," Ethan's mother, Tyra Turner, said.
Deputies say the driver who hit Ethan drove away.
Ethan broke his femur and ribs and suffered a concussion, according to his mom.
"I almost lost my son," Tyra Turner said outside Banner Children's at Desert in Mesa. More than a week after the crash, Ethan is still receiving treatment at the hospital. Tyra said Ethan was on a ventilator at first, then underwent surgery on his leg.
Tyra said she is grateful her son is getting better and appreciates community efforts to assist Ethan and the family. There is a GoFundMe account, and Geno's Giant Slice Pizza is planning a fundraiser on August 30.
"Thank you doesn't even express how I feel - my family feels. We're beyond grateful for all of it," Tyra Turner said.
Tyra said she's also grateful to witnesses and police who helped track down a suspect.
Deputies said they used Flock automated license plate readers [ALPRs], which use artificial intelligence to capture vehicle descriptions and store the data in the cloud, allowing officers to search it in real time or days after an incident.
"We received a call where a kid was hit by a vehicle, and we got a description of the vehicle," Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple said. "They ran that through the system, and they were able to get a hit on the suspect vehicle and follow that lead."
Glenn Noordhof, 46, has been indicted on charges of aggravated assault, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving under the influence.
Teeple said the Flock cameras were instrumental in solving the case quickly, but said he is still moving forward with a plan announced earlier this month to end the county's Flock contract.
"I've never said LPRs are bad," Teeple said.
Teeple said the capabilities of "pattern detection technology where AI can deduce your mode of travel on a day-to-day basis and actually map out your life's travel" concern him when it comes to Fourth Amendment privacy rights.
The Flock cameras will remain in operation until the contract ends on September 28, according to Teeple.
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