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By Greg Bartlett

An untold number of crimes go unsolved around the world because stolen vehicles or equipment, kidnapped individuals, and other vital pieces of evidence disappear and are not found until it is too late. One new technology that holds the promise of making drastic reductions in these unsolved crimes is GPS tracking. GPS tracking technology is being hailed by police departments and law enforcement agencies around the world as one of the most effective new tools introduced.

Many newer vehicles come out of the factory with GPS tracking systems installed in hidden locations that make theft of these vehicles more of a risk for the thieves. Unfortunately, these systems don’t offer the vehicle owner the ability to track their own vehicle. For law enforcement, it can be a real nightmare because they have to rely on a 3rd party to tell them where the vehicle is after a lengthy verification process. Other vehicles have aftermarket GPS vehicle tracking systems installed. The after market systems give the vehicle owner or end user the ability to track instantly from any computer that has access to the internet. As soon as it is realized that the vehicle has been stolen, the end user can locate the stolen vehicle and, in many cases, the police can arrest the thief.

The same is true of stolen pieces of construction equipment. Police have a much easier time recovering stolen pieces of heavy equipment when GPS vehicle tracking devices are installed and activated at the first notice of the theft. Professional thieves are being caught now before they have a chance to remove identifying marks and numbers. Amateur thieves are being caught before they can cause serious damage to the equipment in many cases.

One surprising twist on GPS tracking systems is the ability to thwart kidnapping attempts by calling 911 on a cell phone or having a panic button type device secreted on the person that activates a GPS signal at the first sign of trouble. Some cell phones have GPS tracking devices built into them that are automatically activated anytime 911 is dialed. For that reason, police are able to track some cell phones and follow the movements of whoever has the phone until the situation is resolved. People who are normally considered to be at higher risk of being abducted, especially children, can have a GPS tracking device installed in unobtrusive ways including necklaces and jewelry that can be activated with a seemingly innocent motion that alerts authorities to trouble and allows for tracking of the location of the abducted individual.

Law enforcement agencies all over are pleased by the performance of GPS personal tracking and vehicle tracking systems in helping them solve crimes and recover property and individuals that might never be seen again if taken just a few years ago.