When driving down busy Alamo intersections, drivers may notice some new cameras around town. They were installed to help Alamo police stop car thieves.

"These cameras are going to do amazing things as far as breaking investigation times," Alamo Police Department Lt. Adriana Cano said.

Cano says six new cameras were installed on streetlights two weeks ago after a spike in vehicle thefts.

In the last two months, police say 13 vehicles were reported stolen. That's up compared to the previous three months. Eight vehicles were stolen between September and November.

"A lot of them now are being taken to the port, so that's why these cameras are very crucial," Cano said.

Cano says once the report of a stolen vehicle is made, the cameras come into play.

"We can go ahead and look at the cameras and see at that moment, it passed five minutes ago, that way we can enter the vehicle. Once they try crossing over to the port, it will be already flagged as a stolen vehicle," Cano said.

The camera system can sift through video and generate search results.

"Let's say you are looking for a person, the last thing they were wearing is a red shirt and black blue jeans. You can input that in the system, and it will eliminate everything but people wearing red shirts and black blue jeans," Cano said.

The new cameras also have license plate readers that will automatically flag a vehicle that's been reported stolen.

The city also bought a surveillance camera that can be moved throughout the city to problem areas.

The cameras and tower cost over $77,000 and were funded through federal grants.

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