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Success Stories
Critical Reach
works. Authorities have had success
protecting children, families, businesses, and communities with
our innovative, image-based alert system.
Boosting
the Power of Amber Alerts
Las Vegas, Nevada
As part of an Amber Alert—which is activated in certain child-abduction
cases—the Las Vegas Metro Police Department used Critical
Reach to transmit photo bulletins of 5-year-old Donovan and his
suspected kidnapper to hundreds of media outlets and community
recipients. The persistent display of the photos and coverage
by the media played a major role in Donovan's swift and safe return.
This case is a example of the valuable partnership between
law enforcement and the media—coupled with the power of
photo images.
Bank
Robbery Spree Stopped
Menlo Park, California
Police in Menlo Park apprehended a man just after he robbed a
local Bank of America branch. After booking the suspect, officers
used Critical Reach to transmit the bank robber’s photo
and MO to 30 agencies in a 3-county area. Within the next several
days, 8 other law enforcement agencies were able to clear similar
robbery cases from their books—turns out they were looking
for the same suspect Menlo Park PD now had in custody.
3-Year-Old Boy Saved
San Jose, California
Three-year-old Edwin disappeared without a trace from a laundromat
while his mother was washing clothes. The San Jose Police Department
used Critical Reach to create high-quality color flyers with
Edwin’s photo. The alerts were distributed to 100 officers,
as well as volunteer groups engaged in the search. In a matter
of hours, Edwin’s photo was posted all over the area, and
the media were reporting the case. After midnight, a waitress
at a restaurant a mile from the laundromat spotted a man and a
boy in a car in the parking lot. She recognized the boy as the
one pictured in the flyer posted in her restaurant and called
police. The abductor was arrested and Edwin was returned safely
to his family. The suspect confessed that he had planned to kill
Edwin by morning.
Tow Truck Imposter Caught
Riverside, Illinois
A Critical Reach alert featuring a surveillance photo of a thief
posing as a tow truck driver was sent to 32 police departments
around Riverside, Illinois. Just 4 minutes later, a police department
30 miles away called to identify the suspect. Police created a
photo lineup using Critical Reach, and the victim picked the suspect
out of the lineup. The imposter was swiftly arrested.
Jane
Doe’s Identity Discovered
San Jose, California
An adult woman had been missing for 2 days and was in need of
medication.
The San Jose police sent a Critical Reach “Missing Person”
flyer to several law enforcement agencies. That same day, nearby
Sunnyvale police were asked to find the identity of a “Jane
Doe” rescued from their streets in poor condition and transported
a local hospital. They used a Polaroid photo to create a Critical
Reach flyer that was sent to nearby agencies in the hopes of identifying
the woman. A sharp-eyed deputy in the Santa Clara Sheriff’s
Office received both flyers and noticed a resemblance between
the two photos. Once identified, the woman was treated and released
to her family. The outcome also benefited San Jose PD, which saved
the $10,000 cost of a planned search.
Kidnapped Girl Released Unharmed
Hillsborough, California
Young Kristine was grabbed off the street near her school by two
men in a white van. Kristine’s parents were out of the country,
and the only available photo of her was in her school’s
full-class picture—an image the size of a fingernail. Critical
Reach captured the image and, in just minutes, printed high-quality
color alerts that were distributed to law enforcement agencies
in the area, as well as the media. Soon after the flyer was shown on
newscasts that evening, the suspects released Kristine unharmed
at a nearby hotel.
Burglary Ring Broken Up
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Several police departments in the Chicago area used Critical
Reach alerts to share photos and other identifying information
in a coordinated burglary investigation. The ability to transmit
this crucial data led to the break up of a large residential
burglary ring that was operating in several different cities.
Abducted
Child Rescued
Los Altos, California
Seven-year-old Jaime was abducted from his guardian’s home
by his biological mother, who had a history of child abuse and
mental illness. Using the Critical Reach alert system, the Los
Altos Police Department distributed flyers of Jaime and his
mother to more than 40 law enforcement agencies in the area. At
the same time, they sent flyers to police departments in the San
Diego, Sacramento, and Reno areas, where they suspected the abductor
might flee. Later that evening, a Reno police officer responded
to a report of a burglary at a motel. Upon arriving at the scene,
the officer recognized the mother from the Critical Reach flyer,
arrested her, and safely recovered Jaime.
Homicide
Suspect Arrested
San
Jose, California
After substantial investigation, San Jose police had identified
their prime suspect in a restaurant murder. The suspect
had entered the restaurant, put a gun to the victim's head,
pulled the trigger,
and walked out. A Critical Reach alert with the suspect’s
photo was prepared and sent to Santa Clara County police
agencies, as well as detectives in Sacramento, California.
The Sacramento
officers were sent to check on a possible address of the
suspect. When they arrived, the suspect answered the door
and presented
good quality, but bogus, identification. Having received
the Critical Reach alert, the detectives knew they had
found the
suspect and arrested him. Without the photo, they likely
would have accepted the bogus ID and left. The suspect
was later
implicated in 2 more murders.
Ring
Helps Track Murder Suspects
San Mateo, California
San Mateo police used a Critical Reach alert to locate the buyer
of a unique ring that was stolen from the home of a homicide victim.
The alerts, which displayed an artist’s sketch of the missing
ring, were circulated at San Francisco-area flea markets. The
alerts got the attention of people who could identify the ring
buyer, who then provided information enabling police to track down
the murder suspects.
Coordinated
Effort Nabs Robbers
Boise, Idaho
After 3 men robbed a Boise, Idaho, bank, police and FBI arranged
to have surveillance videotape broadcast on local television.
Tips from several callers helped identify the suspects and led
police to their location. However, when police arrived, they discovered
the suspects had fled just moments before. Boise police used the
suspects’ photos to create Critical Reach alerts, which
they sent to several Orange County and San Francisco-area agencies
on a tip the suspects might flee to those locations. With Critical
Reach images in hand, cops in California were able to successfully
identify and nab the bank robbers.
Elderly
Man Located
Chicago, Illinois
After an 83-year-old Chicago-area man was reported missing, the
Cook County Sheriff created a "Missing Person” alert
on Critical Reach and sent it to local police agencies, hospitals,
and businesses. A woman who worked for an insurance company at
an area hospital saw the man's name in her files and remembered
it from the Critical Reach bulletin. She notified police, and
the man was safely returned to his family and friends.
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