LoJack-Equipped Recoveries Enabled Police to Discover 76 Theft Rings…

LoJack-Equipped Recoveries Enabled Police to Discover 76 Theft Rings and Recover More Than $4.9 Million in Stolen Assets

WESTWOOD, Mass., Jan. 24 LAWFUEL – Sports Law News — LoJack Corporation
(Nasdaq: LOJN), the leading provider of tracking and recovery systems for
stolen mobile assets, today announced the results of its first annual
Motorcycle Theft Study, which documents facts and trends derived from
LoJack’s stolen motorcycle recovery reports for the calendar year 2006.
According to the study, law enforcement recovered 292 LoJack-equipped
stolen motorcycles in 2006 valued at close to $2.8 million and discovered
76 professional theft rings, enabling police to reclaim an additional $2.1 million in other stolen bikes, bike parts, accessories and miscellaneous items. In total, law enforcement recovered more than $4.9 million in stolen assets through tracking LoJack-equipped stolen motorcycles.

This report underscores the fact that organized crime rings view bike
theft as a highly lucrative business opportunity and that motorcycle theft is growing along with the popularity of bike riding – which today is at an all time high. Figures released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau earlier this year indicated that more than 70,000 motorcycles were stolen in 2005.

In fact, bike theft has risen 135 percent over the past five
years. And not surprisingly, the LoJack report indicates that theft is
especially high in states including Florida, California and Texas, where
the riding season is year-round.

“Today’s professional thieves view stealing motorcycles as a theft of
opportunity and an easy money-making proposition, which is why bike theft
is increasing at such an alarming rate,” said Richard T. Riley, LoJack’s
Chairman and CEO. “Motorcycles are relatively easy to steal when compared
to cars. In many cases, the thief will simply put the bike in the back of a van and drive off with it. Because of this issue, bike owners need to take as many precautions as possible to protect their motorcycles – from employing simple common sense measures to using proven tracking and
recovery systems. We’re pleased that our recovery system helped police
discover such a large number of professional theft rings this year and
ultimately put behind bars many of the criminals responsible for these
crimes.”

Newer Sport Bikes are the Most Popular Theft Targets

While all motorcycles are vulnerable to theft, the report indicates
that the most popular theft targets are the newer sport bikes. Four of the top five stolen/recovered bikes are sport bikes and 87 percent were either 2005 or 2006 models.

Below are the top five stolen motorcycle makes:
1. Suzuki
2. Honda
3. Yamaha
4. Kawasaki
5. Harley-Davidson
“Newer bikes are top theft targets for a number of reasons,” said
Riley. “To begin with, they are typically in high demand and parts for new
bikes aren’t always readily available. So, thieves have an opportunity to
sell the bikes whole or disassemble them for parts, sometimes even selling
parts online. In addition, proud owners of new motorcycles tend to ride
their bikes a lot initially to show them to friends and relatives, and they
often do not take the necessary theft protection measures. Unfortunately,
these shiny, new bikes also catch the attention of thieves who can strike
while the bike is vulnerable to theft. For all of these reasons, owners of
new bikes need to be particularly vigilant about theft.”
LoJack Offers “BikeSmarts” Guide to Theft Protection
In an effort to help inform bike owners of the facts about motorcycle
theft and provide theft prevention tips, LoJack offers “BikeSmarts,” a
theft protection guide available on LoJack’s Knowledge Center for Vehicle
Security at http://www.lojack.com (click on the “Get the Facts of Vehicle Theft”
button).
How LoJack For Motorcycles Works
LoJack For Motorcycles features the core strengths that over the past
20 years have made LoJack’s flagship Stolen Vehicle Recovery System such a
successful solution to the serious problem of vehicle theft. The product is
directly integrated into law enforcement agencies in LoJack markets, is
based on LoJack’s tried-and-true radio frequency technology, and is hidden
on the bike so that thieves would not suspect the device exists and,
therefore, would not attempt to find and disengage it. Taken together,
these strengths enable LoJack to deliver highly effective, proven recovery
systems.
About the Study
The 2006 LoJack Motorcycle Theft Study is based on state theft
statistics and equipment recoveries documented by LoJack in 26 states from
January to December 2006. LoJack has been tracking theft/recovery data for
the past year and will continue to issue these reports annually to provide
the industry with valuable statistics and trend information.
About LoJack Corporation
LoJack Corporation, the company that invented the stolen vehicle
recovery market, leverages its superior technology, direct connection with
law enforcement and proven processes to be the undisputed global leader in
tracking and recovering valuable mobile assets. The company’s Stolen
Vehicle Recovery System delivers a better than 90 percent success rate in
tracking and recovering stolen cars and trucks and has helped recover more
than $4 billion in global assets. The system is uniquely integrated into
law enforcement agencies in the United States that use LoJack’s in-vehicle
tracking equipment to recover stolen assets, including cars, trucks,
commercial vehicles, construction equipment and motorcycles. Today LoJack
operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, and in more than 28
countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
CONTACT:
Paul McMahon Jeanne Bock Laura Feng
LoJack Corp. Tier One Partners Tier One Partners
781-251-4130 781-861-5249 978-975-1414

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