By James Neely

In law enforcement, knowledge is king. Think about the amount of information that is gathered by our police and court systems that aide and assist in enforcing laws and ruling that are issued every day. Seem a little overwhelming? Yet, these organizations would not be able to function properly without the information that they gather which is used to support and enforce laws and judgments.

That is why it is becoming more and more important to consider adding a GPS Tracking system to police and other public law enforcement agencies. Not only can assets such as police, fire, rescue and other official vehicles be tracked, but in the case of severe law-breaking, these units can be ordered by the court system to be attached to vehicles that are under the ownership of those who have judgments against them. These systems can help monitor usage and verify compliance.

For police and safety vehicles, the monitoring of where and when can help verify police activity in a given situation. The ability to track vehicles in real time presents an opportunity to report and verify in data format to substantiate a testimony in a court case on the part of a district attorney.

In addition, the assets of a police department other than patrolling vehicles can be monitored as well. Included in this list could be boats, RV units, motorcycles and anything else that needs to be located and managed from a single console.

In terms of Fire and Rescue vehicles, the ability to track calls and runs helps generate reports that show vehicle usage. This can be used to justify purchase requests for additional equipment based on demand.

Publically owned, official vehicles can be tracked as well and reported on for speed, distance and time verification. The philosophy that everyone needs to be held accountable is good for the public but also applies to these agencies as well.

Finally, while law enforcement by court adjudication is more difficult, the fact remains that there is not enough being done in this realm. Court-ordered compliance of judgments that require adherence to time and location restrictions can be enforced with the use of a GPS tracking device.

The public safety systems that have and use these systems are in a much better position of managing their fleets, and providing official data to support their efforts. That alone is worth the price of installation and usage.