Buffalo Police To Use Helicopters When Fighting Car Theft

Auto theft in New York has been rising at an extreme rate over the last few years. Even more so lately with some social media challenges that have been happening, it seems that more and more cars are being stolen on a daily bases.

This trend has police departments all over the state scrambling for new ways and ideas to combat auto theft.

Buffalo is not alone in trying to figure out what to do to stem the tide of stolen cars in the area, and thanks to a couple of new partnerships the Buffalo Police Department has made, things may begin to improve.

The Buffalo Police Department is Now Using The Erie County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police's Helicopters

All over the country, police departments have been using helicopters to fight crime for years. Buffalo, like many other mid-sized cities, does not have its own aerial vehicles to use like larger cities. That's why it's now partnering with the ECSO and NYSP to use their helicopters to track stolen vehicles.

According to an article in the Buffalo News, this new partnership program is funded by a state grant that gives the BPD access to helicopter crews from these other agencies.

Because the Buffalo Police Department has a no-chase policy, instead of chasing stolen cars, the department will use data from the city's license plate readers to track stolen cars and then follow them in the helicopters from the air.

With more than 1,500 cars having been stolen already this year, police officials hope this will be a big step in trying to reduce these crimes and help vehicle owners recover their cars faster.