Policy Text
Policy
435Fremont Police Department
Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN)
Guidelines
435.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide field officers with an effective tool to detect,
locate and recover stolen vehicles. These guidelines establish procedures for officers to follow
when using the Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN). These procedures include operational
guidelines, as well as notification and reporting procedures.
The Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network is a Statewide system involving Police & Sheriff's Office
throughout California. The system is "transparent" to normal police operations, i.e., there is
no change in the Department's reporting or patrol procedures. Vehicles equipped with hidden
transponders (LoJack homing devices) will be reported stolen in the same manner as any other
vehicle. The transponder-equipped vehicles will be automatically activated by a system of radio
towers linked to the State's Stolen Vehicle System (SVS). Officers on patrol duties, who are driving
LoJack equipped vehicles, will be able to receive an electronic signal from a verified stolen vehicle
and trace it to its source.
Officers should consider an SVRN activation signal as merely an extension of their own line-of-
sight observations. The same common sense considerations used with any stolen vehicle should
be used during SVRN activations (i.e., number of officers involved, responses to incidents of
higher priority, pursuits, entering another jurisdiction and officer safety issues). The SVRN merely
provides officers with an enhanced awareness of the presence of a stolen vehicle.
435.2 PROCEDURES
To ensure the success of the system, it will be necessary for officers to enter stolen/recovered
vehicle information into SVS as soon as possible. Supervisors will also play an important role in the
success of the system by monitoring the involvement of officers tracking transponder-equipped
stolen vehicles.
Officers are reminded of the differences between tracking, following, and a pursuit. "Tracking" is
generally a coordinated search for a stolen vehicle using the Police Tracking Computer (PTC) to
track an electronic signal to its source. During tracking situations, officers are attempting to locate a
stolen vehicle/ suspects. This differs from a "following" or "pursuit" where officers have specifically
identified and are actively following a vehicle. Refer to Policy 314 for guidelines for pursuits.
The procedure outlined in these guidelines applies only to tracking situations. Once officers have
identified and are actively following a stolen vehicle, existing policies and procedures involving
jurisdictional concerns, tactics, follow-up responsibilities etc., shall prevail.
(a)Compliance:
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Published with permission by Fremont Police DepartmentStolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN)
Guidelines - 1
Fremont Police Department
Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN) Guidelines
1.All policies and procedures pursuant to the Department of Justice, California Law
Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) and part 10 of the National
Crime Information Center (NCIC) Operating Manual shall be complied with.
(b)Officers Responsibilities:
1.Stolen Vehicle Report: Although the Department's reporting requirements have
not been changed by the SVRN, it will be imperative to ensure that stolen/
recovered vehicle information for transponder-equipped vehicles, as with any
stolen vehicle, is entered into SVS as soon as possible. It is not necessary for
officers to know, or report to SVS, that a vehicle is transponder-equipped in
order for it to be activated by the network. However, when entering the stolen
information into SVS, officers may include that the vehicle is LoJack-equipped.
2.Equipment: When assigned to a vehicle equipped with a PTC, officers shall
ensure that the equipment is turned "on" during their tour of duty. Officers will
immediately report cases of damaged or inoperative PTC's so the equipment
can be repaired. LoJack will respond to the participating agency and make all
necessary repairs to the PTC's, including replacing any defective units. LoJack
will be responsible for all repairs, loss, damage, or destruction of all SVRN
equipment not intentionally caused by the participating agency.
3.Activation Signal: An SVRN activation signal will appear as a five-digit reply
code on PTC's within range of the signal. The reply codes for stolen vehicles
may be any combination of letters and numbers.
4.Tracking:
(a)Upon receiving an activation signal from a transponder-equipped stolen
vehicle, officers shall, using the SRVN mask, provide Communications
with the (5) digit code to query the Stolen Vehicle System (SVS) or
Conduct a query of the transponder's reply code via the in car computer.
(b)Communications will broadcast descriptive information about the stolen
vehicle to all patrol units (BOL). This will ensure that non-PTC equipped
units are informed of the tracking activity as well as pertinent information
about the stolen vehicle. The transponder-equipped unit that receives
the activation signal will provide their location to radio. At this time the
closest field unit will respond to the area as the back up to the transponder
equipped unit. This unit will remain with the transponder unit until which
time the stolen vehicle is actually located. Upon locating the stolen vehicle
other units may be requested to assist as necessary.
5.Jurisdiction:
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Published with permission by Fremont Police DepartmentStolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN)
Guidelines - 2
Fremont Police Department
Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network (SVRN) Guidelines
(a)When officers receive an activation signal from a vehicle outside of their