Partner Corner: Locator Technologies

Partner Corner

Each quarter we highlight a partner that has aligned with Nlets to promote innovation and excellence within the criminal justice and public safety community.

Locator Technologies LLC

Locator has been in business since 1997 and became an Nlets strategic partner in late 2017. Locator operates a database for auto lenders that monitors more than 36 million vehicles for adverse events such as impounds, exports, title transfer requests, parking violations, lien sale applications, etc. Participants in Locator's database include most major captive auto finance companies, including Toyota, Ford, and many others, and most major banks, including Chase, Wells Fargo, and many others. Altogether, more than 3,000 lenders and many insurers participate in Locator's database. Locator does not charge law enforcement for access to the lien holder database. Query is by a NAQ VIN request on the Nlets system. A query returns the name and contact information of the legal owner of the vehicle associated with the input VIN.

In addition, Locator operates the eimpound.com website and database. More than one thousand tow yards, municipalities, and other operators of impound lots enter the VINs of vehicles stored on their lots into eimpound.com in order to identify the legal owner of those vehicles. Locator makes the eimpound.com database of impounds available for search at no charge to law enforcement. Query is by a NAQ VIN request on the Nlets system. A query returns the name and contact information of the impound lot holding the vehicle associated with the input VIN.

What new projects is Locator working on with Nlets?

Locator is working with Nlets to maximize the value of the eimpound.com database to Nlets users. All impounded vehicles in the eimpound.com database are automatically available for search by Nlets users. Nlets users can make impounded vehicles in their own jurisdiction visible to themselves and to all other Nlets users by having impound lots contracted with their jurisdiction enter the VINs of impounded vehicles at eimpound.com. The availability of eimpound.com means that Nlets users who want to contribute to and participate in Nlets’ national impound database do not need to invest their own money in developing a new computer application. The eimpound.com database is ready to go and available to serve them at no cost. Nlets and Locator believe that participation by Nlets users in the eimpound.com project will increase the number and geographic scope of impound records available to Nlets users via existing message keys and increase the value of this data resource to all Nlets users.   Locator wants to make eimpound.com easy to recommend. The eimpound.com database generates significant cost savings for the tow yards, municipalities, and other operators of impound lots that use it. The eimpound.com database makes the name and contact information of the legal owners of vehicles participating in Locator’s lien holder database available at no cost to the impound lot operator. The eimpound.com database also enables the impound lot operator to send at no cost to the impound lot operator electronic notices regarding impounded vehicles to the legal owners of the vehicles participating in Locator’s lien holder database. 

What should states expect from Locator?

Since 1997, Locator has been working on new and better ways for law enforcement and participating auto lenders to communicate regarding vehicles of interest.  Locator wants to continue that dialogue and is open to suggestions for innovative new ways for law enforcement and participating auto lenders to communicate regarding events affecting vehicles.