GPS tracking helps Chicago Police recover more than 100 vehicles and other assorted equipment from a South Side tow yard. A stolen rental car with an installed tracking device set in motion a series of events that led to an aggressive police raid. The owner of the lot states that, “It’s just a misunderstanding over one vehicle.”
This past week, flat bed trucks could be seen busily removing cars and other items from a South Side Chicago auto lot. A GPS tracking device installed in a rental car ultimately led police to the location. A warrant was obtained and an aggressive raid ensued. 100′s of cars were recovered, including a Pontiac Grand Am stolen in a carjacking, assorted construction equipment, and a tow truck stolen from another South Side business.
According to the lot owner’s brother, this is all one big misunderstanding. He stated that, as far as he knew, all of the cars were legitimate and had paperwork. Obviously, since the owner is currently in custody for possession of stolen property, police disagree. He was only able to produce titles on 5 of the vehicles.
Residents of the neighborhood shared their suspicions. They stated that cars could be seen coming and going at all hours of the night, and that even though things seemed strange, they didn’t actually think that they were living across the street from a chop shop. ”Just a fishy gut feeling that something was wrong,” said one neighbor. The investigation is ongoing and is expected to take some time to complete. Police are working to match VIN numbers to reported stolen vehicles, and also attempting to ascertain if any of the VIN numbers had been altered.
There seems to be a trend in cases such as these. As recently as March of this year, Chicago police also busted open another large-scale theft ring on the South Side of Chicago. School buses outfitted with GPS tracking devices had been stolen. The owner of the busses arriving on site to find a “school bus yellow” pile of scrap.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-stolen-car-lot-20130628,0,4742791.story?track=rss
We have more great articles in our archives on GPS tracking technology. “GPS Tracking Meeting Resistance From Police and Fire Unions.”