Girl's camera phone photo of license plate helps capture would-be abductor

A girl’s camera phone photo of a man who previously tried to abduct her and three girlfriends has helped capture the suspect when the same girls saw the man and took a photo of his license plate, according to an article in CBS Channel 2 in Chicago.

On May 6, Bradley P. Hofstetter drove past four girls, 14 and 15 years old, in Lemont Township, Ill. (about 25 miles from Chicago) and offered them $20 each to get into his Chevrolet sport utility vehicle.  The girls ran away.

Last Tuesday, the same four girls saw him at a McDonald’s.  Two of the girls followed him outside, photographed his license plate and called the police.

Hofstetter has been charged with four counts of child abduction and posted a $100,000 bond.  He’s due back in court on June 27, the article says.

Great use of camera phones

This is the type of story that makes me feel good about camera phones (not, of course, about child abduction!).

Yes, the girls could have written the license plate number on a piece of paper but it’s more likely they’d be carrying a cellular phone than paper and pen or pencil (well, at least if they weren’t going to or coming from school).

Also, taking a photo could conceivably take less time than writing the numbers.  Of course, camera phone photos also could be used to help identify a vehicle, especially if it has any specific markings (scratches, paint job, etc.).

This is just one more instance of how camera phones are used for security applications and how they will, I believe, change consumer interactions and business processes far more than most other wireless technologies/services.