CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Caroline County authorities were able to safely reunite a missing man with dementia with his family thanks to license plate reading technology. On Thursday, March 19, the Caroline County Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to share how a license plate reader alert helpe d them locate a missing 72-year-old Leesburg man and safely bring him home. The man's family reported his disappearance to the Leesburg Police Department after he left their home on Saturday, March 14 and did not return. As he has both dementia and diabetes, there were significant concerns for his safety. A few days later, on Tuesday, March 17, one of the sheriff's office's license plate readers picked up the plate of the man's vehicle as he drove through the county. As this plate was associated with a missing person case, a real-time alert was pushed out to authorities. Emporia kitten found with eye 'popping out' makes recovery, now ready for loving home Lt. C. Wright with the Caroline County Sheriff's Office found the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. "Upon making contact, Lt. Wright observed that the driver was disoriented, unsure of his location, and clearly in need of assistance," authorities said. Wright and two other supporting deputies were able to confirm the man's identity and contact his family. Arrangements were made to get his vehicle to the sheriff's office, where the deputies stayed with him, "providing care and reassurance until his family arrived to take him home." "This incident highlights the critical role technology plays in modern policing, as well as the importance of proactive, compassionate law enforcement in protecting our most vulnerable citizens," the sheriff's office said. Virginia lawmakers differ on SAVE America Act Caroline County Sheriff Scott Moser also provided a statement: “We can only imagine how frightening this situation must have been for the family, not knowing where their loved one was or if he was safe. We are beyond grateful for this safe outcome. Our deputies did an outstanding job not only locating this gentleman, but caring for him with patience and compassion until his family arrived. This is what service to our community is all about.” License plate readers have been a point of contention in the greater Richmond region recently, with the debate largely centering around risk versus reward. While citizens have expressed concerns about their privacy being violated, law enforcement has stressed that incidents like this one in Caroline exemplify the value of this technology. A report released in early March found that some Virginia law enforcement agencies using automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) had violated state laws surrounding data sharing. ...read more read less