The Southlake Police Department has launched a new pilot program to help deter shoplifting and theft in Southlake.

The program features a cardboard cutout of Southlake police Officer Roderick Page equipped with an HD Nest camera. The cutout image holds up a sign that lets store patrons know the Southlake Police Department is monitoring the area. The cutout is referred to as "Officer Flat Page" by Southlake police.

Brad Uptmore, the public information office manager for SPD, said the idea came about after the police department had noticed that footage and pictures from thefts in the area were not the greatest quality.

"I saw a while back that a city in Texas had made a cardboard cutout of an officer like he was running radar, and the ideas kind of connected to each other," Uptmore said in an email.

The goal is to help grab people's attention and educate them on police presence, Uptmore said.

"I hope that potential thieves walk in, see Officer Flat Page, and make a choice not to commit a crime," he said in the email. "If they decide to commit a crime anyway, our job becomes so much easier because we have chest-high, HD footage of them."

Currently, Officer Flat Page is located at Southlake Jewelers at 2140 E. Southlake Blvd., Southlake. Uptmore said police will monitor the results of the Officer Flat Page program over the next two weeks.

"We'll measure if they have any theft or suspicious people around ... and then I'll probably interview the employees to see if they felt it had a positive result," Uptmore said in the email.

The police department is still working on an official process for businesses to receive an Officer Flat Page, Uptmore said. The pilot program will help officers realize any faults with the program, but businesses that are interested in participating can email Uptmore at [email protected].