Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Computer Recovery Leads Police to More than Just Stolen Computers
Washington, DC: June 30, 2009– Today at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC), Absolute® Software Corporation(“Absolute” or the “Company”) (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure IT asset management solutions announced a successful computer theft recovery investigation for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). The computer theft recovery case resulted in the arrest of alleged identity thieves and immigration law violators.
It was unquestionably a change of pace for CMS law enforcement officers: an early-morning raid on a crowded trailer that involved federal agents, guns, bullet-proof vests, a pry bar and a battering ram. It was also a successful operation. When the raid was over, a stolen CMS laptop that had brought officers to the trailer had been safely recovered.
“No one got hurt and we got our computer back. We’re happy about that,” said Jim Smallridge, a detective with the CMS Law Enforcement Department who took part in the raid near Berryhill Elementary earlier this year.
The circumstances were unusual but the outcome wasn’t. Thanks to the diligence of CMS law enforcement personnel and the global reach of Absolute, nearly two dozen stolen CMS computers have been recovered in the last two years. CMS Law Enforcement has also assisted other law enforcement agencies, such as the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Police, North Carolina Central University Police, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, with training and in recovering computers that have surfaced in Charlotte.
The high rate of recovery means significant savings in replacement costs for CMS. At about $1,000 per computer, replacing a laptop represents a significant expense to the district – and with county and state money drying up during the economic downturn, those savings are more important than ever. So CMS law enforcement makes recovery one of its top priorities.
“It’s a wonderful service and it saves money,” said Susan T. Manning, director of data center operations for CMS. "The software costs less than $100 per computer, so recovering just one computer pays for that computer’s software plus nine others. In addition, Absolute Software will pay as much as $1,000 per computer if a stolen computer can’t be recovered."
Absolute provides this service to a variety of school districts, governments and private industry. CMS began using the service several years ago. "CMS uses the software on laptops and also on some desktop computers that are in mobile classrooms, because experience has shown that those are the most vulnerable to theft," Manning said.
The laptop found in the trailer near Berryhill Elementary was one of four stolen in a break-in at the Northeast Learning Community Center. In addition to the one found in Berryhill, two have been located in the Dominican Republic, and Absolute is working with police in that country to recover them.
“In addition to getting telephone and IP [Internet Protocol] addresses, we are able to forensically mine the stolen computer,” said Lyle Singular, Vice President, Recovery Services at Absolute. “Because the Absolute Theft Recovery Team is made up of former law enforcement personnel, we know what evidence police need to get the subpoenas and warrants necessary to go after the alleged criminals.”
Mr. Singular continued: “Usually, our recoveries are pretty low-key. We just want the laptop back and if we get it, that’s the end of it. But this one was different because some of the evidence Absolute gained from the computer indicated that it likely was being used as part of a document lab, where fake IDs, Social Security cards and other documents were being created.”
The evidence led CMS law enforcement to two families living near Berryhill. Because of immigration issues involving some family members, the investigation included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, according to Smallridge.
"In addition to the computer, law enforcement officers found a laminating machine, a scanner and printer, hole punches used for ID cards and other materials that indicated the trailer was at least a low-level document lab," Smallridge said.
“We appreciate the assistance we got from ICE, our local law enforcement partners, and Absolute Software,” Smallridge said. “We got our property back and, for now, that document lab is out of business.”
How Computrace Solutions Work
The Computrace® Agent that powers Absolute Software solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers right at the factory or it can be installed by the customer.* Embedded in the firmware of a computer, the stealthy Computrace Agent is capable of surviving operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging. The Agent can be activated by customers when they purchase a subscription with terms ranging from one to four years.
The Agent regularly contacts the Absolute Monitoring Center – sending location and IT asset management information that is accessible via the Absolute Customer Center web portal. Customers log in to the Absolute Customer Center to access that information, manage their IT asset population, run reports, remotely delete data and plot the location of their computers and mobile devices on a map.
If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team can use location information sent by the computer and forensically mine it using a variety of procedures including key captures, registry scanning, file scanning, geolocation, and other investigative techniques to determine who has the computer and how it is being used. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to help recover the computer.
Meet Absolute During NECC 2009
Meet Absolute’s laptop tracking and security experts and see Computrace first hand during NECC by visiting the Absolute exposition booth number 3709.
For more information on Absolute Software and its range of computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, please visit www.absolute.com.
* For a complete list of firmware-supported computers, see www.absolute.com/firmware.