KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After a storefront window downtown was broken out Wednesday morning, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety was able to use its FUSUS camera system to identify the suspect and track his movements throughout the downtown area.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m. KDPS officers responded to a report of a broken storefront window in the 200 block of South Kalamazoo Mall. Officers discovered damage at nearby businesses and quickly determined the incident was not isolated.
As officers canvassed the downtown area, they located additional broken windows between Park Street and the 300 block of East Michigan Avenue. In total, approximately seven businesses and nonprofit organizations were affected. Preliminary damage estimates exceed $10,000.
Investigators were able to review their FUSUS camera system footage in real time, confirming the suspect’s direction of travel and relay that information directly to officers in the field.
KDPS says because of the immediate access to camera footage, officers were able to quickly locate and arrest a 47-year-old man on East Michigan Avenue near Kalamazoo Mall who is believed to be responsible for the damage. He was taken into custody without incident.
The Fusus system allows public safety agencies to tie together public and private video and data sources and deliver them via a cloud-based platform. In Kalamazoo, the program is called CONNECT KALAMAZOO.
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