Stolen KIA Tracked to Police Headquarters — Family Member Stole Vehicle to Turn Himself into Police
- April 21, 2012
- recovery stories
On March 12, 2012, the owners of a 2009 KIA 4-door contacted the Houston Police Department to report that a family member had taken the vehicle without their permission and failed to return it after 48 hours. After gathering all pertinent information, the Houston Police completed a stolen vehicle report and had the Kia’s information entered into the state and federal crime computer databases. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Kia. Neither the owners nor law enforcement had to take any further action to activate the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network because LoJack’s interface with law enforcement is both seamless and instantaneous.
Seconds later, a Houston officer beginning his shift turned on the ignition of his patrol vehicle and instantaneously received the silent homing signals from the stolen vehicle on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) installed in his patrol car. The officer queried the LoJack Reply Code appearing on the PTC display screens with the police stolen vehicle computer system and received a full description of the stolen Kia he was tracking. Following the directional cues on the PTC, the officer determined that the stolen Kia was in the public parking lot in front of the patrol station. The officer drove around to the front of the lot and observed the vehicle parked and locked in a parking space. The ensuing investigation revealed that the family member had taken the vehicle and driven to the Southeast Command station to turn himself in on outstanding warrants. The owner was notified of the recovery and the vehicle released into his custody.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Kia at the original owner’s request in June 2011.