Flock cameras help find missing man in Sandy Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - Sandy Springs Police say those cameras, which read license plates are not just for catching bad guys. They have also been helpful to find missing people. 

Police say recently a man dropped his wife off at the front door of Northside Hospital and planned to go park the car. Four hours later, when the woman's appointment was over, she came out to find her husband, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She was worried and called 911 to report him missing. She told the operator he had early signs of dementia.

Police say the couple lives in Lamar County and the man was not familiar with the area. They immediately began searching for him.

Sandy Springs has Flock cameras scattered throughout the city. Officers typed in the man's license plate number and got a hit in no time. He was on Roswell Road heading north.

"We were able to ping where he was and found out he was in the area. It seemed like he was just driving around in a circle," said Sandy Springs Police Officer Jarrell Greene.

Officers pulled him over and told him his wife was looking for him. The man told the officers he was just trying to get home. Police reunited the couple.

"They were happy, and they were just relieved more than anything to know that he was okay," said Officer Greene. 

Police say while the cameras are often used to spot stolen vehicles or vehicles connected to other criminal activity, sometimes they do use them to reunite loved ones.