Policy Text
LOJACK VEHICLE RECOVERY SYSTEM
EFFECTIVE DATE: 01/20/91 STANDARD NO. 008 REVISED: 07/06/18
REPLACES: SOP Lojack Vehicle Recovery System 12-01.1-3 – Rev. 01/01/03; Rev. 06/20/12
OBJECTIVE: To develop criteria for the use of the LOJACK Vehicle Recovery System by
officers of this Department.
POLICY: It is the policy of the Homestead Police Department (HPD) to establish guidelines
for the utilization and operation of the LOJACK Vehicle Recovery System.
SCOPE: All employees of this Department shall be governed by the procedures set forth
below.
I. DEFINITIONS:
A. LOJACK is a multi-component system for assisting law enforcement personnel in
identifying, tracking, locating and recovering stolen vehicles. The operation of the
system, which consists of three (3) major components, is as follows:
1. LOJACK Unit (vehicle transponder):
a. Purchased by the vehicle owner and installed by trained LOJACK
personnel.
2. Police Tracking Computer (PTC):
a. Consists of a radio receiver with directional antenna array, doppler signal
processor, micro-processor-based computer and a controllable display.
The tracking device is installed in local law enforcement agency vehicles.
3. The Florida Activation System (FAS):
a. Installed at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
(D.H.S.M.V.) in Tallahassee with transmitters strategically located around
the state.
B. A stolen vehicle entry into the FCIC/NCIC system for a LOJACK equipped vehicle will
cause the LOJACK transponder to be activated. The police tracking device detects a
five (5)-character reply code transmitted from the transponder in the stolen vehicle and is
able to lock-in on the vehicle, facilitating its recovery.
II. PROCEDURES:
A. Only those personnel trained in the LOJACK System shall operate the PTC in police
vehicles so equipped. When possible, LOJACK equipped units shall be in service on all
shifts.
1. Reporting Stolen LOJACK-Equipped Vehicle:
Lojack Vehicle Recovery System – SOP# 008
a. An officer investigating a stolen vehicle report, shall inquire if the victim
has a LOJACK unit installed in the vehicle. The reporting process
remains the same but the responding officer shall immediately advise
dispatch, via radio, of the vehicle information (VIN) necessary to enter the
LOJACK equipped stolen vehicle into FCIC/NCIC as quickly as possible.
This will initiate the activation process of the LOJACK unit. Officers do
not need to know a LOJACK number for entry. If a car owner has a card
with a LOJACK number on it, this is the car’s vehicle identification number
(VIN). The VIN is the key to the entire system.
2. Upon receiving an FCIC/NCIC message “Lojack Unit Activated”, the dispatcher
shall BOLO information concerning the vehicle to neighboring agencies via the
“Intercity” radio and shall notify LOJACK by telephone at 1-800-456-5225.
3. Receiving And Tracking A LOJACK Signal: