New device could trip up car thieves with a signal to cops

By Leigh Ann Maze

A new stolen-car detection device recently installed in Los Gatos and Saratoga law-enforcement vehicles won't prevent theft, but it may help officers recover stolen cars and the find the perpetrators, according to Capt. Jeff Miles of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's westside substation.

Eight patrol vehicles in the substation's fleet and one patrol vehicle in the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department's fleet were equipped with the LoJack detection unit in December.

For some $600, the LoJack system can be added as an option to newly purchased cars. It is a small, electronic device hidden in the car from thieves and the car's owner. The device is activated and begins emitting a silent signal when the car is reported stolen to police. A patrol car equipped with the LoJack detection unit within one-half to five miles of the stolen vehicle, depending on terrain, will pick up the signal. The LoJack detection unit inside the patrol car will beep and display a number, which can be radioed to dispatch to find the make, model and information on the stolen car. A directional finder guides the patrol car in the direction of the stolen vehicle's location.

According to Sgt. John Hirokawa of the Sheriff's Department, the LoJack system is expected to be installed in all 158 of the department's patrol vehicles. The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department also expects to increase its number of patrol vehicles with the LoJack system in the near future, according to Traffic Sgt. David Gravel.

Saratoga experienced 10 car thefts in 1999, which is few compared with county numbers, according to Miles. In Los Gatos, 43 cars were reported stolen in 1999.

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police and Santa Clara County Sheriff's departments expect signal repeater towers in the area to be put up and the LoJack system to go on-line in January or early February, Hirokawa said. Deputies from both agencies are training to use the system.

The system was created by the private LoJack Corp. in Massachusetts and has been used successfully since 1989 in Southern California and in many East Coast states.

The California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division, which covers Alameda, Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties, recently installed about 30 units in patrol cars, according to Sgt. Sally Mitchell in CHP Investigative Services. The San Jose Police Department has 27 LoJack receiver units, but they are not yet installed in patrol cars.

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