Backhoe Stolen from Stockton Job Site Recovered Minutes Later, Abandoned
- June 8, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of May 4, 2012, the owner of a 2007 CAT 420E Backhoe contacted the Stockton Police Department to report the equipment stolen from a job site in the city of Stockton. Stockton officers completed a theft report and had the backhoe’s information entered into the California and federal crime computer systems. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the backhoe, prompting it to begin emitting a silent homing signal. Neither the owners nor law enforcement agents had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Vehicle Recovery Network, because LoJack’s interface with the police s both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than 30 minutes later, investigators with the Delta RATT Auto Theft Task Force, along with deputies with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, each began to receive the backhoe’s silent signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) installed in their patrol vehicles. The officers used the directional and signal strength cues from the PTCs to locate the backhoe, parked in an alley approximately 10 miles from the theft location. After conducting a short surveillance and checking with neighbors, the decision was made recover the equipment.
Police contacted the owner of the backhoe, who immediately responded to take possession of his $75,000 backhoe.