Lee County Welcomes the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network

14 April 1999

Lee County Law Enforcement Agencies Welcome the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network

    FORT MYERS, Fla.--April 13, 1999--The Florida Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network, which has been operational in the state since 1988, is expanding its southwest Florida coverage area to include Lee County.
    The LoJack Corporation provides the equipment to operate the Florida Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network to local, county, and state law enforcement agencies at no cost to the taxpayers of the state or the communities it serves.
    "We are pleased to broaden the present coverage area to include Lee County, and participating agencies, such as the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Florida Highway Patrol, Fort Myers and Cape Coral Police Departments," stated C. Michael Daley, Chairman of the LoJack Corporation.
    Lee County Sheriff John McDougall commented, "Area law enforcement agencies are pleased to implement this successful LoJack System, which has produced great results in other counties in Florida, to assist our efforts in reducing auto theft in the County."
    An Auto Theft Task Force, formed by the Sheriff's Office and the Fort Myers Police Department has been successful in reducing auto theft in the region in the last several months. The Fort Myers Metro Area ranked 46th in the country in auto theft in 1997 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
    "LoJack acts as a deterrent to both professional and amateur car thieves," said Daley. "LoJack assists law enforcement officers in tracking stolen vehicles, and apprehending those responsible for the thefts. It has proven to be very effective in locating chop shops and organized auto theft rings."
    Since its introduction in Massachusetts in 1986, the LoJack System has assisted law enforcement agencies in recovering over 30,000 stolen vehicles and arresting 25% of the people involved in the thefts.
    Professor Steven Levitt in a National Bureau of Economic Research Study stated, "The presence of LoJack is associated with a sharp fall in overall auto theft in central cities."
    The LoJack System works in conjunction with the statewide law enforcement telecommunications network. This network allows police, once a stolen vehicle equipped with a LoJack System is reported stolen, to activate a transmitter in the stolen vehicle, and track the signal from police vehicles equipped with Police Tracking Computers to locate and recover the stolen vehicle. LoJack's nationwide recovery record is approximately 90%.
    "We are pleased to welcome the Lee County Law Enforcement Community to the Florida Stolen Vehicle Recovery Coverage area," Daley stated.