County engineer reports stolen backhoe, ongoing road maintenance; staff weigh anti-theft options
May 14, 2025 | Okanogan County, Washington
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County engineer Josh Thompson updated commissioners on road maintenance plans and a recent theft from a county crew: a Caterpillar backhoe was taken from a locked pit near Oroville, and staff are exploring tracking and storage changes to reduce future losses.
Thompson said crews had secured the backhoe in a locked pit; thieves cut a fence near the gate and started and removed the machine. The equipment's telematics (VisionLink) recorded a startup time before the device was disconnected. Thompson described efforts to consult other counties about anti-theft measures and said some newer machines use coded start systems rather than physical keys.
"We had a back hoe stolen from the Oroville crew on Friday night," Thompson told the commissioners, and he said the machine had been taken out of the county and later recovered in other cases in the region. He noted that some stolen equipment has been found in chop shops within 24 hours in other investigations and that the sheriff's office is investigating.
Thompson discussed deterrent and recovery options: hidden external GPS locators, remote tracking devices (Apple 2Find My7 and commercial systems), storing equipment at monitored private properties when crews are not present, and upgrading fleet security where feasible. He cautioned that sophisticated thieves can bypass some systems and that newer machines with coded-start systems reduce some theft risk but not all.
In the same update Thompson described ongoing maintenance work: chip seal programs, grading and staff shortages, and the department's need to juggle equipment allocation across remote sites. He said the inspector and contracts administrator positions are open and being filled to meet a heavy project workload this season.
No formal policy or capital purchase was approved during the meeting; Thompson said staff will continue to work with the sheriff's office and insurers, evaluate tracking options and bring recommendations back to the board.
Thompson said crews had secured the backhoe in a locked pit; thieves cut a fence near the gate and started and removed the machine. The equipment's telematics (VisionLink) recorded a startup time before the device was disconnected. Thompson described efforts to consult other counties about anti-theft measures and said some newer machines use coded start systems rather than physical keys.
"We had a back hoe stolen from the Oroville crew on Friday night," Thompson told the commissioners, and he said the machine had been taken out of the county and later recovered in other cases in the region. He noted that some stolen equipment has been found in chop shops within 24 hours in other investigations and that the sheriff's office is investigating.
Thompson discussed deterrent and recovery options: hidden external GPS locators, remote tracking devices (Apple 2Find My7 and commercial systems), storing equipment at monitored private properties when crews are not present, and upgrading fleet security where feasible. He cautioned that sophisticated thieves can bypass some systems and that newer machines with coded-start systems reduce some theft risk but not all.
In the same update Thompson described ongoing maintenance work: chip seal programs, grading and staff shortages, and the department's need to juggle equipment allocation across remote sites. He said the inspector and contracts administrator positions are open and being filled to meet a heavy project workload this season.
No formal policy or capital purchase was approved during the meeting; Thompson said staff will continue to work with the sheriff's office and insurers, evaluate tracking options and bring recommendations back to the board.
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