The tracking system is similar to the LoJack technology used to locate stolen cars. However, unlike LoJack, the trackers are primarily hidden on bikes — as well as other items, like laptops — to catch thieves, not to recover property. In Sacramento County alone, the use of such bikes has resulted in 150 to 200 felony arrests, according to Sergeant Todd Deluca of the Sheriff’s Department, which has been using the bikes since 2004.
“When we started, I thought we’d get kids stealing each other’s bikes,” Deluca said. “But what we’ve found is that we’ve gotten some pretty heavy-duty criminals.”
In one memorable incident in spring 2007, an escapee from Folsom State Prison stole a US$3,000 Foes mountain bike that had been left as bait in a supermarket parking lot, locked to the rack of an SUV. The system alerted the police, and the prisoner was caught about 15 minutes later, less than an hour after his escape, officer Lou Wright of the Folsom Police Department said.
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