Cobb Reporter

Marietta police officers were in “shear” disbelief Dec. 26 as they discovered a whole flock of sheep in the back of a vehicle stopped in a parking lot upon the discovery of a stolen license plate. 

The Marietta Police Department wrote on Facebook Dec. 27, sharing a video of the flock and describing the scene as officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Throughout the video, the sheep appear unfazed as they peered through the back of the van, though the post states the officers were not quite as casual.

“Can you imagine the surprised looks on the officers faces when they opened the back doors to the van," the Marietta Police Department wrote in their Facebook post.

According to the post, a Flock Safety license plate reader notified officers a vehicle with a stolen license plate had entered the area, prompting them to locate and stop the vehicle in a nearby parking lot. The sheep were discovered after officers opened the back of the van for a search. 

After investigating, officers found the flock had been purchased legally and were being transported to a farm, Marietta police wrote in their post.  

This came as Flock Safety technology serves police in more than 1,000 cities across 40 states to identify leads, assess crime hotspots and prevent crime in the community, the company website states. Among other capabilities, Flock’s ability to identify the stolen license plate led officers to an unexpected flock of their own.