LoJack® System Helps Buckeye Police Department Recover Stolen John Deere Backhoe

The owners of a 2007 John Deere 310 backhoe contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to report that their construction equipment had been stolen.  The John Deere backhoe was secured in a fenced yard near Olive Avenue and Sarival Road, just north of Goodyear, Arizona.

The police verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the John Deere backhoe.

A short while later officers from Buckeye Police Department and the Goodyear Police Department  picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen John Deere with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft.  Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the officers tracked the vehicle to an area near Citrus Avenue and Yuma Avenue on the outskirts of Goodyear.

The Buckeye police officers located the John Deere abandoned in a vacant dirt lot about ten miles south of the theft location.  The John Deere backhoe was located and recovered in less than one hour after being entered stolen by the police.   The John Deere backhoe was returned to the owners in good condition.

The LoJack® System was installed in the John Deere 310 backhoe in June, 2007.