Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools computer recovery leads police to more than
just stolen computers
WASHINGTON, June 30 /CNW/ - Today at the National Education Computing
Conference (NECC), Absolute(R) 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.
