LoJack® System Helps Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Recover Stolen Ford Fusion
- April 5, 2016
- recovery stories
The owner of a 2010 Ford Fusion contacted the Hickory Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen during their extended out of state travels. A known acquaintance had been given the right to temporarily use the Ford during the owner’s travels. The owner returned home to discover the Ford missing. The friend had been contacted; they had acknowledged having the Ford and were requested to return the vehicle. All attempts to have the Ford returned had failed, thus the stolen vehicle report.
The Hickory PD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Ford.
A short while later officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, more than 65 miles away from the theft site, picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Ford 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 Ford to a high school visitor’s parking lot off Park Road. The Ford was unoccupied and appeared not to have any physical damage. The owner was notified of the Ford’s recovery but was unable to travel to Charlotte to take custody of the vehicle because the owner did not have key to the vehicle. As a result, the Ford was towed and stored until the owner could arrange to have a key made and travel to Charlotte.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Ford Fusion in June 2010 at Jones Ford in North Charleston, South Carolina.