Over 280 Pieces of Property Recovered from Suspects Arrested for Stealing Items from Passengers Luggage at LAX

WHAT:    
Recovered Items Displayed for Victims to Identify and Reclaim Their Property
        
WHEN:    
Saturday, November 22, 2008
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE:    
Ahmanson Recruit Training Center
5651 West Manchester Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90045
                
WHO:        
Command Staff, Los Angeles Police Department LAX FSD
Command Staff, Los Angeles World Airports Police Department
        
WHY:    
The theft of cargo and items from passengers’ luggage at LAX has long been a concern for the LAPD and LAWAPD.  These concerns come from not only the need to protect the property of passengers, but also from the standpoint of protecting the overall security operation at LAX.  To address these concerns, personnel from LAPD and LAWAPD have been working together in many ways to impact crime and make the Airport area a crime-free environment.  

As part of this collaborative effort, on October 30, 2008, two employees working in the baggage handling area of the airport were arrested for theft of property from passengers’ luggage.  A subsequent search of the suspects’ residence resulted in the recovery of over 280 pieces of property, all believed to have been taken from passengers’ luggage.  One of the suspects admitted that he has been stealing from passengers’ luggage for about one year.  It is believed that the items recovered were mostly stolen from luggage checked for outgoing international flights.  

The items of property recovered include jewelry, laptop computers, digital cameras, cell phones, I-Pods, a variety of brand-name handbags & purses, and other miscellaneous items.  

For further information, please contact Lieutenant Peter Whittingham, LAPD LAX Field Services Division at 310-646-2255, and reference Case No. 30783.