Technology Helps Nab Alleged Pa. Ambulance Thief

Dec. 02--A man who allegedly took an ambulance on a joy ride had one thing working against him: Technology.

Early last Friday morning, two White Rose ambulances were sent to the 500 block of South Queen Street for a breathing problem. A second crew had left the scene after checking if the first crew needed help with lifting or patient care, said White Rose Vice President Ted Hake.

That's when Leonard Eugene Smith, 21, of no fixed address, got into the first ambulance that had been left running and parked on the street, according to officials. Crews were still tending to the patient on the second floor of a residence there, Hake said.

According to charging documents, Smith drove the ambulance "throughout York City" until he abandoned it in the area of Boundary and Cleveland avenues.

But each White Rose Ambulance vehicle (there are 32 total) is equipped with an "auto vehicle locator," or AVL, Hake said. Typically, an AVL helps the department in cases where people complain about an ambulance driving too fast. The AVL tracks speed, and where the vehicle is, providing real-time updates.

Hake believes Smith would have heard the 911 radio transmissions in the ambulance as police and county dispatchers tracked the ambulance.

Additionally, White Rose Ambulance vehicles are equipped with DriveCam.

That includes two camera lenses, one pointed at the driver and one pointed toward the windshield. The camera begins recording when a driver takes a turn too hard or accelerates too hard.

In Smith's case, he braked hard twice, setting off the camera, Hake said. That led to police being able to ID him later after White Rose Ambulance turned the video over to York City Police.

"His driving was not exactly model driving," Hake said, adding that Smith had a smirk on his face while driving.

"He really seemed to be enjoying the experience," Hake said.

The incident resulted in a brief delay in transport for the person who initially needed the ambulance, Hake said.

Revisiting protocol

In light of the incident, Hake said, White Rose Ambulance is looking into purchasing a piece of technology that would prevent someone from being able to steal a running ambulance. Hake said ambulances can be left running for the patients, for instance to keep the air conditioning running during the summer, and to keep the heat on in the winter.

For one product, crews can leave a vehicle running while in park, but take the keys. The vehicle wouldn't be able to lock, but if someone put it in drive without the keys, or were to touch the brakes, the car would shut off.

"There's not one single answer," he said.

DriveCam helped White Rose Ambulance earlier this year when video caught a driver colliding with one ambulance head-on.

Four people, including the driver of the ambulance and an attendant, were hurt in the crash.

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