LoJack® System Helps Chicago PD Recover Carjacking Vehicle; Three Arrests Made
- November 7, 2019
- DJ Thompson
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s Hot Spots Vehicle Theft Report, over 26,000 cars were stolen in the greater Chicago area last year. As we examined in our Car Theft: Regional Auto Theft Trends series with officer.com, cars in the Chicago area are often stolen via carjacking.
While attending the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Chicago last week, our Law Enforcement Liaison team collaborated with Chicago PD on a case that underscores the prevalence of this form of auto theft:
The owners of a 2018 Dodge Journey reported to Chicago Police that they had been robbed at gunpoint of their vehicle. Once Chicago Police verified the theft, they entered the vehicle’s information into the NCIC system, which automatically activated the hidden LoJack® unit in the owners’ vehicle.
LoJack Law Enforcement Liaisons, who were in Chicago attending the International Police Chiefs Conference, began communicating with Chicago Police Auto Squad about the Carjacking. Within a short period of time, the vehicle was being tracked by Chicago Police. Through a coordinated effort, numerous unmarked police vehicles were able to be dispatched to the area where the car was being tracked. Officers located the vehicle with three suspects inside, and with the aid of the LoJack tracker, they were able to isolate the vehicle and make the arrests without any pursuit or other danger to the public. The vehicle was recovered and returned to the owners without damage.
Through follow up investigation that day, the carjacker was identified as one of the suspects taken into custody. The Chicago Detective said that the LoJack tracker made the difference in arresting the perpetrator in this case.
The LoJack System was installed in this vehicle earlier this year at Enterprise Car Sales in Chicago, IL.
We’d like to thank all the Chicago law enforcement officials who were involved in the recovery of this vehicle. We appreciate their dedication to protecting our communities and continuing to take dangerous criminals off the streets.