WEST BOISE, Idaho — A video captured by a privately owned traffic camera network helped Boise police identify and arrest a man after officers say they found suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in a storm drain.
The investigation began after a crash at a Boise intersection triggered a Collision Cam recording. Moments after the collision, the video appears to show the driver throwing an item from the passenger side of his vehicle before running to a nearby storm drain, where he appears to discard additional material and empty something from his pants.
WATCH | What started as a crash became a drug investigation—
The footage was later posted to Collision Cam's social media page, where Boise Police Capt. Josiah Ransom said an officer happened to see it while scrolling online.
"An officer actually saw it on his account, saw the person most likely stashing drugs in the storm drain," Ransom said. "Because we value proactive policing at BPD, he went out, actually recovered the drugs and the paraphernalia from the storm drain."
Police searched the storm drain and recovered suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, according to Ransom. Investigators later identified the suspect through the crash investigation and made an arrest.
Collision Cam is a privately owned camera network that records traffic at busy intersections. The company was founded by brothers Aaron and Dallas Langston, along with Aaron's son, Tate.
Tate Langston said the idea came after he was hit by a drunk driver in Utah and was unable to obtain video of the crash.
"I remember wishing that there was a way to get a hold of that driver if there was footage in the area," Langston said. "From there kind of stemmed the idea to put up cameras to help people get crash footage."
Today, the company operates cameras at busy intersections across several states, including Idaho. Drivers involved in crashes can request footage at no cost, while insurance companies and attorneys pay for access to video used in legal claims.
Dallas Langston said the company's mission has remained the same.
"We're just trying to film crashes," he said.
The Langstons say their cameras do not collect license plate data or use facial recognition technology. Instead, they say artificial intelligence detects crashes and preserves the associated video while most footage is automatically overwritten.
"We would've never noticed a guy throwing a bag of meth down a drain if it wasn't for the crash beforehand," Dallas Langston said. "We're not just staring at cameras all day."
The company says AI detects collisions, preserving footage only when a crash occurs.
"It's free. It's for your benefit," Tate Langston said. "If you're in a crash, you're going to wish you had footage."
Boise police say they're supportive of using technology like Collision Cam when it can help investigations.
"If it helps us provide a better service to the citizens, we would absolutely use that," Ransom said.
