Surveying Equipment Recovered - Whose is it?

That's ridiculous and I hope they throw the book at whoever had the stuff.

Ten years in the pen sounds just about right.

That looks to me like modern stuff - with the cases, including the latest distance meter from HP.

Who's going to want it back?

(Probably would rather keep the insurance money.....)

Wow! If this comes up for sale, I will take that Leica RCS, can't tell from the photo, BUT it looks in decent shape.

Most of this stuff is fairly old, so this may have been lifted quite some time ago.

SHG

Little green level looks like it could use a home.
I'm not familiar with that brand total station. The older yellow instrument appears to be a Topcon GTS2b ?? I remember operating that.

Could be

It's possible that the police just arrested some poor old surveyor out robbin' and stealin' because his phone hadn't been ringing enough to feed his family or make the monthly payments. When they got the search warrant to check out his office, they found all this old surveying equipment that was not being used and thought they had recovered a bunch of surveying equipment. Hey, it could happen...

Do any of the survey equipment manufacturers have online databases where one can use a serial number to look up the legal owner of the equipment?

I would think that would be a good thing for the manufacturers to provide, as a service to its customers.

For example, in a case such as described, where probably all of the equipment shown has unique serial numbers, can the crime investigator readily find out anything about prior ownership history?

On a related note, when someone purchases used equipment on eBay or Craigslist, or wherever, can they quickly find out prior ownership history?

If they can figure out how to turn the geodimeters on, they are often programmed to write the names of their owner on the start up screen.

Wow,

That is a Leica 1100 controller on the floor.

I would surely like to have that as a backup for my 1105 robot.

Randy

Hard to believe no names or address on equipment. Looks like a DOT equipment auction

Trimble does. I bought a TS on Ebay I had our dealer check out for me. Didn't want a hot one.......

What happens with a paid insurance claim if the stolen property is recovered? Excluding fraud, wouldn't the property then belong to the insurance company?

My understanding is that most companies give the insured the option of keeping the money or repaying it and claiming the property.

Randy, I already called dibbs up above! Intersting that the Leica TS isn't in the photo.

SHG

If the former owner is ever located and he was paid off through an insurance claim, then the insurance company owns the equipment. That is the way it works in my state.

> What happens with a paid insurance claim if the stolen property is recovered? Excluding fraud, wouldn't the property then belong to the insurance company?

Yes, we bought our own total station back from our insurance company when they recovered it months after getting a settlement check from them. They had no use for it or any idea how to sell it. Bought it from them for a quarter of what they paid us. What a deal.

I'd guess we are talking multiple companies here, as the RCS 1100 is not compatible with anything they are showing, and yes, the little green level could come to live in my house as well, have lusted after one for years but just don't use a sight level enough to justify the cost.

I'd gladly take one of those Geodimeters as well, if they are robotic capable, can't really tell from the pics.

You can keep the Guppys, have too many nightmares that wake me up in a cold sweat centered around those yellow abortions. The GTS 2 was a quantum leap in technology, wouldn't mind having one of those come live in my house as well.