October 3, 2005 – San Diego, CA
By Tim Parlier
In August of 2005 law enforcement agencies in Ventura County stopped a 9-state equipment theft crime ring. The operation required “9,000 hours of investigation” and “netted 2 arrests, nearly 26,000 pieces of equipment valued at $3.5 million, and helped 215 victims from 64 cities in nine states identified so far”. Authorities believe there are many more victims, including large and small construction firms, landscaping, and equipment rental companies.”
Thanks to Field Technologies ‘ GPS tracking systems, its customers no longer have to worry about such theft issues. Until now, the most popular theft recovery devices required you to wait 48 hours after the theft to file a police report before they would attempt to recover your stolen machine or vehicle. With the ability to immediately locate their vehicles and equipment at any time, Field Technologies’ customers have the ability to track stolen equipment or vehicles and have the authorities retrieve them immediately.
Companies in a variety of industries have recovered thousands of dollars in stolen property through the use of GPS tracking systems. Many construction and equipment rental companies are excited about the ability to pinpoint the physical location of equipment on jobsites. This facilitates quicker pickup of equipment when it is no longer in use, which helps minimize theft. Gary Goldman, vice president sales and marketing for Amendola’s Fence experienced a recovered stolen vehicle and says he “counts the company fortunate, considering it could have lost a $65,000 custom-made Ford flatbed and about $10,000 worth of PVC fencing and assorted tools.” He continued to say, “That alone paid for the installation of the tracking device. Aside from the theft of the vehicle , I’d say within a year and a half the system had paid for itself.” Field Technologies ‘ customer Theresa, from Blacks Towing in Temecula, CA explained how, “It helped us get our truck back. On July 4th, someone punched our driver out and jumped in the truck and took off. He crashed it into a power pole and we were on the GPS watching him and told the police where to get him.”
The ability to locate and reclaim a stolen piece of asset is a priceless commodity. Companies in all industries are experiencing theft without resolution, but Field Technologies’ GPS tracking systems allows its customers to escape the anxiety that is accompanied by the loss of thousands of dollars in assets. It is easy to see that when a GPS unit is installed in a company’s vehicle or equipment; it can immediately become a thief’s worst nightmare.
Fischer, Sofia . Ventura County Task Force Helps Bust 9-State Crime Ring. Thousand Oaks Acorn. August 26, 2005 .
Roth, Michael. RER Industry Survey: The Readers Speak. Rental Equipment Register. February. 2005.
Schachter, Ken. LI-based Fleet Owners Believe GPS systems are Worth Cost. Long Island Business News. February 2005.