Law & Order
Unfortunately, to catch a good crimedrama you sometimes don’t have to turnon the TV. Just check out a jobsite packedwith valuable equipment tucked awayfor the night. These investments can lurethieves out of hiding and into trouble. Luckily,there are companies like LoJack Corp. tostop them in their tracks.The company recently revealed its top five constructionequipment theft recoveries of 2012. From stolen equipmentthat was bound for exportation overseas to those thatwere cleverly concealed in the deep woods, these recoverystories demonstrate how LoJack is one of the most effectivesystems for protecting construction equipment fromtoday’s clever professional thieves. Drum roll! Here are thetop five LoJack construction equipment theft recovery storiesof 2012:
No 1: Three Is a Charm: LoJack System Saves Contractor from Third Theft of Trailer
After having two utility trailers (that were equipped withmultiple locks and a wheel boot) stolen, an electrical contractorin Raleigh, N.C., decided to protect his third utility trailerwith a LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System. And, whileunfortunately he was the victim once again of theft, this timethe LoJack System helped him beat the bad guy. After he reportedthe crime to police, they found the trailer within onlytwo hours of activation and arrested the criminal.
No 2: Weapons, Bullets and Grenades … Oh My! Equipment
This recovery story demonstrates how fast the LoJackSystem can help track down a stolen piece of equipmentand find thieves who are often involved in other, more seriouscrimes. Only three minutes after the owners of a JohnDeere skip loader reported it stolen, flight deputies withthe San Bernardino, Calif., Sheriff’s Department picked upthe silent LoJack signal and tracked down the location ofthe loader. Responding ground units were quickly on thescene and verified that it was indeed the stolen skip loader.While there, deputies found a large cache of weapons andcalled in the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Bomb Squad to takeover the investigation. Th
e recovery not only included theskip loader, it also netted illegal weapons, a large amountof ammunition, live hand grenades and body armor.
No 3: Bound for Trouble: LoJack System Halts Stolen Skip Loader’s Trip Overseas
A stolen Caterpillar skip loader was about to take a longtrip overseas, but the LoJack System helped cancel that journey.In this recovery story, California Highway Patrol begantracking down the stolen skip loader less than 20 minutes afterthe owners reported it stolen. The signal from the LoJackSystem led the officers to a shipping warehouse in the Cityof Carson, Calif. There, thieves had removed the company names from the skip loader and planned to ship it out of theUnited States, along with multiple other pieces of stolen constructionequipment. All were recovered and returned backto their owners, thanks to the police and the LoJack System.
No. 4: What’s Stolen in Vegas, Stays in Vegas: Skid Steer and Other Stolens Found by Las Vegas PD
The owner of an Ingersoll Rand skid steer contacted theLas Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to report that hisequipment had been stolen from a jobsite in Northwest LasVegas. A few minutes later, officers with the North Las VegasPolice Department picked up the LoJack System’s signalcoming from the stolen equipment. The officers tracked thestolen skid steer to a large warehouse in North Las Vegas.Police quickly located the stolen skid steer inside, alongwith an air compressor that had been reported stolen from ajobsite in Downtown Las Vegas. The suspect is facing multiplefelony charges as the investigation continues with policestill identifying more victims.
No. 5: You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide … From LoJack: System Finds Mini Excavator Hidden in the Woods
This recovery story proves thieves can’t hide from the LoJackStolen Vehicle Recovery System. When employees at a local pavingcompany returned to a jobsite in New Britain, Conn., after along weekend, they found their John Deere mini excavator wasmissing. The owner didn’t realize his equipment had a LoJackdevice when he reported the theft to local police. Minutes later,K-9 officers from three different towns who were training in thearea received the silent LoJack signal coming from the stolen excavator.Using a handheld LoJack Police Tracking Unit, officersdiscovered the excavator deep in a wooded area. The investigationrevealed that the thieves had entered the area through a gatein the highway sound barrier. While the barrier and surroundingtrees prevented the excavator from being observed from anydirection, they couldn’t stop the LoJack signal from finding theequipment. The owner was relieved to get back his excavator —worth $25,000 — thanks to the LoJack System
