LoJack® System Helps Fresno Police Department Recover Stolen Ford Focus
- May 13, 2015
- recovery stories
During an asset audit, the inventory manager for a Fresno auto dealership discovered that this Ford Focus had been stolen off their car lot in north Fresno. The manager contacted the Fresno Police Department to report that the vehicle was stolen. The Fresno 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. Within minutes after the LoJack was activated, the flight crew of Air 1, a Fresno PD helicopter, picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Ford with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC’s) that are installed in police vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the officers located the Ford in a residential neighborhood area near Chance and Butler avenues in southeast Fresno. Ground units responded to the area and located the Ford parked and unoccupied in front of a residence.
Officers made contact with a male adult in the rear yard of the residence. The male was determined to be on felony probation and subject to search and seizure. A search of a trailer in the rear of the residence yielded the keys to the stolen Ford. Additional investigation led to more evidence linking the male to the stolen Ford. The male was arrested for vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and violation of probation.
The Ford was recovered intact and undamaged; it was released to a representative of Lithia Ford at the scene.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Ford Focus in November 2014 at Lithia Ford in Fresno, California.