Rogers Co. Goes High-Tech To Recover Stolen Property

By Lori Fullbright, News On 6

ROGERS COUNTY -- The Rogers County Sheriff's Office is the latest Green Country law enforcement agency to install LoJack, so they can track and recover stolen vehicles.

When you buy a car, tractor or bulldozer, you can have LoJack installed for about $700. If it's stolen, as soon as it's entered into the National Crime Information Center, officers get an alert and can track it down.

The best part, it doesn't cost taxpayers a dime.

Rogers County Deputy Adam Hull has a LoJack tracking monitor in his truck. Whenever a vehicle with a hidden LoJack transmitter on it gets stolen, then reported and comes into Deputy's Hull's jurisdiction, he can track it down.

He follows directions on the screen to move in on whatever was stolen. The driver of the stolen vehicle hears nothing. They have no idea the radio frequency technology is bringing law enforcement closer and closer.

Rogers County is one of the first sheriff's departments in Green Country to get LoJack and it costs them nothing, because LoJack donates the equipment to law enforcement agencies.

"Rogers County faces huge growth. We're the fastest growing county in Oklahoma, so we need to be proactive and utilize technology like this," said Sheriff Scott Walton, Rogers County Sheriff's Department. "It's out there; why not use it?"

LoJack says even if someone parks your vehicle in an underground garage, in a trailer or shipping container, the signal will still transmit to law enforcement.

They say considering SUVs can cost $40,000 and bulldozers more than $100,000, $700 doesn't seem so expensive.

"It's a small investment for the overall price and before LoJack, recovery was practically non-existent and we have a 90% recovery rate and if we don't find it within 24 hours, we have a 100% money back guarantee," said Dennis Johnson with LoJack.

LoJack is currently in seven Green Country agencies and three more will be added this month, including OHP.

You can LoJack just about anything, including laptop computers and even people. They now have a program where you can find folks who tend to wander off and could be in danger, like those with Alzheimer's, Autism or Down's syndrome.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, Creek County Sheriff's Department, Rogers County Sheriff's Department, Tulsa PD, Bixby PD, Sand Springs PD, Broken Arrow PD all are already using LoJack.

The Muskogee  County Sheriff's Department, Wagoner County Sheriff's Department, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol plan to add it in later this month.