CAR STOLEN-LEO's AND OTHERS, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO??

[Scooter Bob]

Karen's daughter's car was stolen early this am. It was reported to the police within 1/2 hour. In it was purse with house keys and everything else, including cell phone.

 

Question #1 - since phone was on, can it be tracked from tower to tower??

 

Question #2 - we are making a list of things in there that need to be followed up on. What are we missing?? The list so far...

 

phone

credit/gas/debit cards

social security card

day care swipe card for child drop off and pick up

health insurance cards

change locks on apartment

Driver License

Inform anyone one of her Contacts on cell phone to protect against scam calls.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help in this matter, Scooter Bob and Karen

Edited April 12, 2009 by Scooter Bob

[Midicat]

I'm not experienced in this kind of stuff but if you have their home number wouldn't it make sense to notify your insurance broker regarding the incident and be sure to quote the police report number.

[Scooter Bob]

I'm not experienced in this kind of stuff but if you have their home number wouldn't it make sense to notify your insurance broker regarding the incident and be sure to quote the police report number.

 

Thanks, but, since it's an older car (97) with lots of miles (170k), and not worth a whole lot, she didn't have full coverage on it.

 

I actually am surprised this happened. This isn't a big city crime area, happened in Beaver Dam (pop. 15,000), and a couple blocks from the police station.

 

Regards, Scooter Bob

[RoadKill]

• You didn't have Driver License on that List, if it was in her purse. She will need to get a new one.
  
• Garage Door openers
  
• Inform anyone one of her Contacts on cell phone to protect against scam calls.
  

Good Luck

[flb_78]

phone

credit/gas/debit cards

social security card

day care swipe card for child drop off and pick up

health insurance cards

change locks on apartment

 

 

This is a good reason to not use credit cards. all I have is 1 debit card and it can be shut down with just a phone call to the bank, 24hrs a day. You also need a PIN number to access the debit card.

 

Also, never carry your Social Security card with you. Put it in a safe place.

[Scooter Bob]

• You didn't have Driver License on that List, if it was in her purse. She will need to get a new one.
  
• Garage Door openers
  
• Inform anyone one of her Contacts on cell phone to protect against scam calls.
  

Good Luck

 

Thanks, I've added a couple of those to the original list, she didn't have a door opener though.

 

Regards, Scooter Bob

[mini-muffin]

Might want to make sure the cell gets turned off so they can't run up her cell bill too.

 

Margaret

[Scooter Bob]

Stolen at 2:30 am, found 11:40 am

 

Karen just went to get Missy to get some of these things taken care of. They decided to check around a little and found the car in a city parking lot not too far from where it was taken. They parked it in with Karen's truck, and went and hid and called the police. Cops just arrived when she called me.

 

I'll keep you informed as to what might still be missing after they all check it out.

 

Thanks Again, Scooter Bob

[Scooter Bob]

Might want to make sure the cell gets turned off so they can't run up her cell bill too.

 

Margaret

 

Good Idea. We were waiting for the cops to tell us to do that though. We were going to do that, but then thought since the phone is connected to a tower, it might be helpful in tracking. I'd still be interested in knowing if it can be tracked in a case like this. The dispatcher did say that since the report was filed, she thought the phone company would waive all bogus charges after filing. Not sure on that though.

 

Regards, Scooter Bob

[Scooter Bob]

She has her car back, but they did steal the purse and all that's in it and the phone. Not sure why, but the cops didn't even fingerprint the car. They are going to visit some area houses and ring her phone to see if they can find it that way.

 

So, if you can think of anything we missed on the list, we'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks, Scooter Bob and Karen

[ToRide1]

Well if the crooks have your cell phone it can be tracked to five foot of where it is and if the cops don't want to be bothered I say go after the cops as they are not doing their job and the equipment is in place for them to use it.

[IH Truck Guy]

Karen and Bob,what a bummer..

Hard to believe this would happen in Beaver Dam.....Probably just punk kids..

Shari said she didn't see a checkbook on your list...

Good luck..Hope they can catch them...

[davecb]

I work in a 911 center. The phone can be pinpointed if they call 911. There may be other ways to track it also. The thing that bothers me most is why do women leave their purses in their car. It happens here also. In fact, quite frequently. That's like a guy taking his wallet out of his pocket and leaving it on the seat. I'm not bashing anyone here, but tell your wives/girlfriends to NEVER leave their purses in the car. You can almost expect someone to steaal it.

 

 

DaveCB

Public Safety Dispatcher

Huntsville Fire and Rescue

[Midnight V-4]

I can't speak for your local police but I do know in my agency we do have the capability of having a cell phone tracked. It is an expensive option however, and sometimes the money is just not there for all cases. It is done on a case by case basis and priorities have to be set (homicide case versus fraud or others). Agencies have to use funds effectively especially in light of today's economic conditions.

 

The tracking is usually done through the cell provider and they usually charge for the service. As for the police not printing the car, were the conditions suitable? For the exterior, was it wet? If conditions were good then there is no excuse for not attempting to print the vehicle. It's always better to have prints from the interior so the bad guys can't say they were caused by incidental contact (parking lot, walking by). Exterior prints help but defense attorneys love to cloud the waters.

 

I wish you the best.

[Scooter Bob]

No new news on the purse, but I think she's got everything taken care of.

 

After reading the PMs and E-mails and Posts to this thread, I am starting to better understand the cell phone tracking issue. The local police had said the phone company would only track in case of iminent danger. And while it shouldn't be expensive to do, I can sort of see why they would charge so much. I have this picture in my head of everyone that just lost the phone wanting it tracked to save the replacement cost, and I'm sure the phone company would rather sell a new one anyway.

 

Again, thanks for the help, Scooter Bob and Karen