ORANGEBURG (WACH) -- A new crime fighting tool in the hands of the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office is all thanks to a fishing tournament.
Sheriff Leroy Ravenell says the $10,000 license plate reader was a prize the department won at the Palmetto Blue Fishing Tournament in Charleston.
The sheriff says they've been using the new tool for two weeks and some arrests have already been made.
"One of the things of getting the word out is that the criminals will know we have this in Orangeburg County and if you're thinking about stealing a vehicle or tag you won't come to Orangeburg County," says Sheriff Leroy Ravenell.
The new technology allows an officer to know if a vehicle is stolen, if the driver has a suspended license, and it can even identify sex offenders.
The reader is attached to the statewide police database.
Ravenell says there's only one license reader currently being used in his office because the equipment is expensive.
As for the fishing tournament, he says another one will be held in September at a different location and he hopes to win another license reader.
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