A Quick Fix: Absolute Helps Recover Stolen Laptop for Orthopedics Northwest

In May 2002, a Dell Latitude notebook, valued at between $2,700 and $3,000 was stolen from Orthopedics Northwest, in Yakima, Washington. The clinic, comprised of ten orthopedic surgeons and nine Physician Assistants, specializes in injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments) in all age groups.

Chuck Stillwaggon, Information Systems Manager for the company, said the laptop was stolen from the front seat of a surgeon’s pick-up truck, parked right outside of the clinic. He said that had the thief known the computer was equipped with Computrace, the computer tracking and loss control service from Absolute, he might have thought twice.

Stillwaggon said, “When I was notified that the computer had been stolen, I jumped on to Absolute’s website and completed the theft report form. It was just so simple and easy to use. Then I sat back and waited for the computer to call in.”

Within a week of the theft, the computer called into the Absolute Monitoring Center in Vancouver, Canada via modem, enabling the Absolute Recovery Team to provide local police with relevant subscriber information.

Shortly thereafter, Sergeant Joe Salinas of the Yakima Police Department obtained a search warrant, showed up at a private residence and questioned a woman who said her husband recently purchased a computer at his construction site for $250 dollars, but that he had done so legitimately. Salinas said that both the man and woman were fully cooperative but no arrests have yet been made. The laptop, however, has been safely returned to Orthopedics Northwest.

Salinas said, “Yakima is not a violent town but it certainly has had its fair share of ‘nuisance crime’. Given the fact that last year we had about 1,200 burglaries and over 4,000 thefts, I truly believe that Computrace Plus is an invaluable tool for laptop owners. It’s a stealthy piece of equipment that, when stolen, cries out to the police, ‘I’m over here, come rescue me.’”

Stillwaggon also sees the tremendous value of Computrace Plus. He said, “We’ve never had a laptop theft problem before, but as we found out the hard way, it can and does happen. You can always re-install software but lost hardware is a hardship; since laptops are a commodity, insurance coverage tends to not be that great.”

He continued, “Computrace Plus has been an excellent investment. It’s simple to use and it’s a no-brainer for anyone who wants to manage their PC resources. I have already stipulated to Dell that every time we order a new laptop, Computrace Plus is to be a part of the standard configuration.”