JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office police vehicle was recovered two days after officers say it was stolen on Sunday.
JSO brought the report of the stolen vehicle to social media on Tuesday evening and quickly received a tip that the car was abandoned on the Westside.
The car was reportedly stolen from an officer’s home during a burglary. Officers say the thieves stole the keys to the cruiser and several firearms from within the home.
Many people on social media commented their concern that the vehicle and firearms went missing for two days before JSO notified the public.
JSO told First Coast News the department followed protocol. JSO says the officer was away from her home where the car was parked for several days, When she returned, police say she found her door opened and her car missing. JSO says she reported the car as stolen as soon as she found out.
Police say they know the car was stolen on Sunday after asking neighbors the last time they saw the car at the officer’s house.
“That was seen by witnesses,” JSO Public Information Officer Christian Hancock said. ”It was reported as soon as the victim, the police officer, returned from her trip. There was no lag in reporting. There was no delay. It’s not a big conspiracy that we didn’t want people to know this police car was missing. Matter of fact, we wanted people to know that.”
Hancock says investigators are still taking inventory of what may be missing from the car, but he says no uniform has been stolen.
JSO says there are GPS tracking devices on the cars, but that equipment gets turned on when officers use certain equipment in the car. Since the thief did not activate certain equipment, JSO could not track the car.
Though the car was recovered, suspects have not been apprehended. Three people are believed to be involved in the theft, according to a police report. Two are male and one is female, the report says. One of the male suspects reportedly has a beard and was wearing dark clothes and a dark ballcap.