LoJack® System Helps Phoenix Police Department Recover Stolen Construction Equipment Wacker Light Tower
- May 19, 2016
- recovery stories
The manager of a construction equipment rental company contacted the Glendale Police Department to report that a 2011 Wacker light tower was stolen from one of their customers while out on rent. The equipment had been secured in a fenced area of the job site when it was stolen.
The Glendale PD verified the theft and entered the equipment information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the light tower.
Twelve minutes later, the helicopter crew and patrol officers from the Phoenix Police Department picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Wacker light tower 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 helicopter tracked the light tower to a neighborhood northwest of 35th Avenue and Cactus Road in Phoenix.
The officers were able to locate the stolen equipment in the backyard of a residence, approximately three miles from the theft location. The Phoenix PD officers made contact with the occupants of the residence. One male subject was detained and advised that an acquaintance parked the light tower in the backyard. Officers recovered the Wacker light tower in good condition. The light tower was towed from the scene for safekeeping until the rental company could take possession of it. The male subject was released pending further investigation. The case was forwarded to the auto theft detectives to follow up on the investigative leads provided.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Wacker Light Tower in June 2015 by Commercial Sales.