HIDDEN GPS DEVICE LEADS COPS TO LOADS OF STOLEN POWER TOOLS.Byline: LARRY ALTMAN Staff Writer Unaware that a load of stolen power tools contained a hidden satellite tracking system, two people were arrested Monday as they unloaded the loot -- some of it from a Woodland Hills construction site. Police tracked the men to A AAA AAA: see American Automobile Association. (Triple A) A common single-cell battery used in a myriad of electronic devices of all variety. Like its double A (AA) cousin, it provides 1.5 volts of DC power. When used in series, the voltage is multiplied. Mini Storage in Harbor Gateway, where investigators recovered more than $60,000 worth of generators, jackhammers, nail guns A nail gun, nailgun or nailer is a type of tool used to drive nails into wood or some other kind of material. It is usually driven by electromagnetism, compressed air (pneumatic), highly flammable gases such as butane or propane, or, for powder-actuated tools, a and other tools, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police Detective Lou Koven said. Later, detectives impounded a second van parked on a South L.A. street. Koven said he believed it contained another $60,000 in stolen property. Police said the arrests surprised the suspects, who had no idea they were being followed. Officers moved in as the men tried to unload To remove a program from memory or take a tape or disk out of its drive. the equipment into a storage facility. Koven said the van contained tools taken over the weekend from lockers at construction sites in Carson and Woodland Hills. Koven said the victims included the contractor and seven or eight subcontractors, including plumbing, air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. , elevator elevator, in machinery elevator, in machinery, device for transporting people or goods from one level to another. The term is applied to the enclosed structures as well as the open platforms used to provide vertical transportation in buildings, large ships, , drywall, window and door companies. Guy Yocom Construction employees discovered the losses when they arrived for work Monday morning. They informed police that the equipment was fitted with a global positioning tracking device. Detectives from the Commercial Crimes Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . tracked the signal to 50th Street and Normandie
Avenue, found the van and put it under surveillance, Koven said.
In addition to recovering the stolen tools inside the van, detectives said they found more stolen property stored at the facility, including concrete vibrators, pumps, tampers, blowers, saws and other expensive tools. Koven credited the Norco-based Guy Yocom firm with adding the tracking device to its equipment. The second van also included equipment containing a GPS device, allowing police to watch it all day. Koven suggested that companies also mark their tools with their company logos. "When we find it, I know right away who it belongs to," Koven said. Those arrested were held on suspicion of receiving stolen property. In the days to come, detectives will work to identify all owners of the recovered property. Koven said many theft victims don't report the crimes. Anyone who may have been a victim of construction-site theft is urged to call detectives at (213) 485-2507. larry.altman(at)dailybreeze.com (310) 543-6655 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Police workers examine more than $60,000 worth of stolen construction equipment traced Monday through a GPS unit embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. in the equipment. Chuck Bennett/Staff Photographer |
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