“Old School” Tactics Prevent New-Tech Theft

Posted on June 14, 2010 in Auto Theft, Crime Prevention, GPS Tracking, Law Enforcement | by RMT GPS News

By Harriette Halepis

Source acquired via Bronx Times, June 3, 2010, New York – he may not be able to climb buildings and he doesn’t wear a red and blue suit, but retired NYPD Lieutenant Anthony Amelio is nothing short of a neighborhood hero. On the morning of May 22, 2010, Amelio chased a GPS thief down three streets until he finally caught him, held him, and waiting for the 49^th Precinct to arrive.

GPS Tracking & Vehicle Theft

Amelio was already awake around 4:30 a.m. when he saw a car thief break into his neighbour’s Jeep. Upon spotting the thief, Amelio went out to where the thief was standing, and “…gave two commands: Police! Don’t Shoot!” At the time, Amelio was wearing a retired police officer identification around his neck, though the criminal did not heed Amelio’s warning. Instead, the robber ran away from the scene with Amelio hot on his trail.

As Amelio attempted to capture the thief, his wife dialled 911 in order to alert police. Amelio eventually caught up with 40-year-old Napoleon Cirera, and he was able to detain him until police arrived. Cirera was charged with auto stripping, possession of stolen property, petty larceny, and other offenses. As for Amelio, he was simply happy that he was able to catch the thief. The retired lieutenant told press that apprehending Cirera was “…a quality of life issue. You don’t want to come out of your home and find that someone has broken into your vehicle.”

Cirera was searching for cars that had visible GPS navigation units inside of them. These units can be easily stripped from cars and sold on the black market. This is precisely why Cirera was intending to do when Amelio caught him. Police believe that Cirera may have been responsible for a number of thefts that have taken place within Amelio’s area over the past few months. Police are warning people who own GPS navigation units to hide these units from plain sight.

While most GPS mapping units that are stolen are never recovered, installing a GPS tracking device on the unit is one way to prevent a thief from stealing this piece of equipment. Since most people do not have retired NYPD lieutenants living next door, a GPS tracking device is the next best thing. In this case, Amelio’s neighbor, Peter Enea, was fortunate to live next to someone as heroic as Amelio. Cirera will be sentenced by a New York court within the next few weeks.