Multiple Connecticut Police Units Use LoJack to Recover Stolen John Deere Mini-Excavator
- November 4, 2012
- recovery stories
On Friday, October 12, 2012, a local paving company left a 2005 John Deere Mini-Excavator at a job site in New Britain for the weekend. When the workers returned to the site on Tuesday, October 15, they discovered the excavator missing and immediately contacted the New Britain Police Department to report it stolen.
The New Britain Police verified the theft and had the excavator’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the equipment. LoJack is the only theft recovery system that is directly operated by law enforcement. This interface is seamless and instantaneous.
Minutes later, K-9 officers from three different towns, training in the area, received the silent LoJack homing signals coming from the stolen excavator on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) installed in their patrol cars. At the same time, New Britain Police and detectives from the Regional Auto Theft Task Force joined in the search. The track led them to a densely wooded area in the City of New Britain, alongside State Route 9. Using a handheld LoJack Tracker, they located the excavator deep in a wooded area alongside Route 9. Investigation revealed that the thieves gained access to this area through an access gate in the highway sound barrier. The sound barrier and surrounding trees prevented the excavator from being observed from any direction. The thieves were in the process of disassembling parts, and had already removed the tracks, bucket and hydraulic cylinders. The Statewide Auto Theft detectives will continue the investigation.
This John Deere Excavator had been installed with a LoJack Vehicle Recovery System for the Hertz Corporation in 2005. The current owner was not aware that the excavator, valued at $25,000, had a LoJack system, but was pleased to receive the benefits.