News Stories

ecoATM Board Appointment and Promotions for the Law Enforcement Relations Team

Director of Law Enforcement Relations Jim Smith was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the California Robbery Investigators Associations South Chapter Board of Directors. During his law enforcement career, Director Smith served as a Robbery Detective and Detective Sergeant investigating a variety of robbery cases including home invasion robberies, bank robberies, commercial robberies, and street robberies.

The California Robbery Investigators Association was founded in 1972 to promote closer relationships between robbery investigators throughout the state, as well as professionals in private industries related to robbery investigation. The Association strives to:

Aid in solving robbery cases by encouraging more effective dissemination and exchange of information
Support legislation to curb robberies and to ensure that adequate sentences are imposed on defendants
Prevent robberies by engaging the community and private industry through education
Provide educational opportunities for investigators and private industry professionals
Encourage the development of new methods techniques, and technologies to assist investigators in identifying and apprehending robbery suspects

The California Robbery Investigators Association is led by a Board of Directors comprised of a State Association President and Directors representing the two Chapters – North and South. The leadership structure increases accessibility of our leadership to our members, sponsors, and supporters, statewide

Promotions

ecoATM has announced the promotion of Director Michael McCann to the position of Senior Director. Mike will have oversight over our United States Operations where we have over 5,000 kiosks, operating all 50 of the United States.

ecoATM has announced the promotion of Director Doug Muldoon to the position of Senior Director. Doug will have oversight over our International Law Enforcement Relations team. We currently operate 878 kiosks in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria and the Netherlands. We are also in the process of operating in Japan. In Japan we are looking to someone to join our Law Enforcement Relations team as a Contractor. (position posting below). We anticipate that we will also hire a similar role in Europe in the near future.

ecoATM Directors Michael McCann & Douglas Muldoon appointed to Committee Roles with the International Association of Chief of Police

Michael McCann, Director of Law Enforcement Relations Accepts IACP Appointment
Michael McCann, Director of Law Enforcement Relations for ecoATM and the Retired Chief of Police for the River Vale Police Department in River Vale, New Jersey recently accepted an appointment to serve on the Crime Prevention Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The IACP has 31,000 members from the United States and 165 foreign countries.

The association serves as the professional voice of law enforcement and addresses cutting edge issues confronting law enforcement through advocacy programs and research, as well as training and other professional services. As part of the Crime Prevention Committee, Director McCann will provide valuable expertise and help guide the future of the IACP Crime Prevention Committee and the law enforcement profession. Chief McCann (Ret.) had served previously on Computer Crimes and Digital Evidence Committee.

“Michael McCann was chosen as a member of the Crime Prevention Committee because he exemplifies a high-level of commitment to the Association’s values and to the law enforcement profession, Chief McCann (Ret) has implemented and had immediate oversight of many Crime Prevention initiatives in his law enforcement career, and we look forward to his continued forward thinking ideas in a very unique time in law enforcement“ said IACP President Deputy Executive Director Terrance M. Cunningham.

Douglas Muldoon, Director of Law Enforcement Relations Accepts Re-Appointment
Douglas Muldoon, Director of Law Enforcement Relations for ecoATM and the Retired Chief of Police for the Palm Bay Police Department in Palm Bay, Florida was recently re-appointed to serve on the Transnational Crime Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The IACP has 31,000 members from the United States and 165 foreign countries.

The association serves as the professional voice of law enforcement and addresses cutting edge issues confronting law enforcement through advocacy programs and research, as well as training and other professional services. As part of the Transnational Crime Committee, Director Muldoon will provide valuable expertise and help guide the future of the IACP Transnational Crime Committee and the law enforcement profession.

“Douglas Muldoon was chosen as a member of the Transnational Crimes Committee because he exemplifies a high-level of commitment to the Association’s values and to the law enforcement profession, Chief Muldoon (Ret) had served as the President of the FBI National Academy (2013), the worldwide relationships cultivated by Chief Muldoon played an important part in connecting law enforcement partners, those relationships will continue to provide a value to the Transnational Committee .“ said IACP President Deputy Executive Director Terrance M. Cunningham.

2020 IACP Award Winner - Thames Valley Police United Kingdom wins international award

Thames Valley Police United Kingdom has received an award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) for its work on Project Vigilant.

Project Vigilant was launched in June 2019 to combat a rise in sexual offending in the night time economy in Oxford city centre.
The initiative targets predatory behaviour in order to prevent sexual offences taking place. It uses a combination of uniformed and covert officers to identify behaviour such as sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and loitering on nights identified by detailed analytics where an increase in this type of behaviour is anticipated.
The IACP award for crime prevention was presented to the force on Friday 23 October via a virtual ceremony held for the award winners.

The project has also received support from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and is now being shared as best practice across other police forces.

On receiving the award, Chief Inspector James Senior, said: “It is a real privilege to receive this award on behalf of the force. It is fantastic that the project and work of our officers and staff has received international recognition and those involved in its implementation should be very proud.

“This project has been instrumental in safeguarding the public and creating a hostile environment for perpetrators wanting to commit sexual offences in Oxford. Due to its success we hope to roll this initiative out to other areas across the Thames Valley.”

Crime Prevention Award Sponsor, ecoATM said “Crime prevention has been part of ecoATM’s DNA for over a decade. That is why we are proud to sponsor the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Crime

Transnational Crime Committee as part of the National Security/Transnational Crime Policy Council
https://www.theiacp.org/working-group/committee/transnational-crime-committee
Crime Prevention Committee as part of the Community Safety Policy Council
https://www.theiacp.org/working-group/committee/crime-prevention-committee

2019 IACP Award Winner - Round Rock, Texas, Police Department

With a heavy increase in online shopping, homes with packages out front have become readily available and easy targets for thieves. The Round Rock Police Department (RRPD) has come up with a unique way to combat this issue, Operation Front Porch, providing the community with an option to ship packages to the police department. Because of the way the program was organized, the day-to-day operations of the program required minimal work for the department’s civilian staff and no work for sworn officers.

Instead, the department relied heavily on volunteers to log and distribute packages. In Round Rock, reports of package theft in December rose each year from 2014 (4) to 2015 (8) to 2016 (13). In 2017, the first year of the program, thefts decreased to four. In 2017, approximately 30 packages were delivered during the 22 days RRPD ran the program. In 2018, the community’s use of the program grew to more than 300 packages over 52 days.

A Model Partnership Between Law Enforcement and ecoATM Brings Thieves To Justice

From our headquarters in San Diego, ecoATM staff view an image in real time of a suspicious individual at one of our kiosks in Everett, Washington. The person in question attempts to cash in on a cell phone; immediately, ecoATM staff contact the Everett Police Department, attaching the image of the individual. The suspect is later arrested for trafficking in stolen goods.
Throughout the country — in cities like Sacramento and San Antonio, Seattle and Spokane, and Dekalb County, Georgia — the story is the same: Police, working in partnership with ecoATM, are able to identify and apprehend these criminals.
We operate over 2,000 kiosks in 42 states. These crime sprees, and others throughout the state and country, might have remained unsolved were it not for two factors:

Read the story here

2018 Winner - Chandler, Arizona, Police Department

The IACP/ecoATM Leadership in Crime Prevention Award recognizes innovative, data-driven, low-cost, and high-impact crime prevention programs. Programs recognized for this award should exemplify effective crime reduction strategies and specific measures of success. Agencies must demonstrate how their crime prevention program builds community trust and increases community engagement

Robbery Suspect Identified Via ecoATM

GA-based Fox affiliate WAGA yesterday reported that police in Norcross identified a robbery suspect after a stolen cell phone was sold at an ecoATM kiosk in DeKalb County. Images captured at the ecoATM kiosk led detectives to identify Arquial Dotson, who has not been apprehended, as one of two suspects in an armed robbery at an apartment complex on October 7.

Fox added that it received an email from ecoATM explaining that "In the case where [a stolen device] does make its way into our kiosk, we provide police and local law enforcement with the evidence they need to prosecute the people and return the stolen property to the victim,” ecoATM added.

Read the story here.

Second man arrested in connection with armed robbery: Phone-recycling machine records led police to suspect

Online sales records led Jeffersonville police to a second suspect identified in a July armed robbery on Oaklawn Drive. Jovan Bradford-Bangs was arrested Oct. 13 in connection with the same robbery. The arrests come after Jeffersonville police responded to Oaklawn Drive around 2 a.m. July 19, according to court records. After guests arrived, they were met by a man who confronted them at gunpoint. That man was later identified by the victims as Bradford-Bangs.

One of the victims reported an iPhone being stolen during the robbery. When police searched online pawn shop and sales records, they discovered Downs had sold an iPhone with the same serial number of the stolen iPhone to an ecoATM inside a Kroger store.

Read the full article here.

Police chief talks about commercial tech that can deter cell phone theft and recover stolen goods

By PoliceOne BrandFocus Staff

Posted July 9, 2015

A lack of resources makes tracking each cell phone theft nearly impossible for law enforcement. But one cell phone recycling company, ecoATM, has developed a strategy to lend them a helping hand. Retired San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne talked with PoliceOne about how his department began working with ecoATM to reverse the trend of cell phone thefts, and what other departments need to know about the service they offer.

Read the full article on PoliceOne.com

Smart Moves to Make - Deterring Stolen Cell Phones with ecoATM

Location: Dubuque

By Alicia Yager
alicia.yager@thmedia.com
Posted June 7, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Smartphones offer new challenges for users who have more personal data on their devices than ever before. This article explores suggestions on what to do before and after a phone is stolen and how ecoATM helps law enforcement.

Dubuque Police Lt. Scott Baxter states: "We were skeptical of them coming in at first and the type of service they were offering ... but officers have told me they have had nothing but success working with (EcoATM)."

Read the whole article about ecoATM and stolen phones at THonline.com.

Pekin City Council to reconsider secondhand sellers ordinance

Location: Pekin

By Sharon Woods Harris
Pekin Daily Times Reporter
sharris@pekintimes.com

Posted Nov. 20, 2014 at 9:38 PM

The City of Pekin revises its second hand dealer laws to get more information about the seller and reduce avenues for thieves to resell stolen goods. This includes reporting every transaction through LEADS (the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System) to ensure proper tracking. When reviewing second hand dealers the police officers noted that ecoATM is already reporting every transaction through LEADS and complies with the second hand dealer regulations in the area.

Read the full article on PekinTimes