Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Harriette Halepis

The main duty of a parole officer is to keep an eye on a newly released criminal. This is done through visit, follow-up phone calls, family communication, and other similar methods. Regular parole officers are assigned around 100 cases, and “intensive” parole officers are assigned around 40 cases.

There’s no clouding the fact that parole officers are overworked. There simply aren’t enough parole officers in the world to cover the number of criminals that require constant monitoring. Not only is the task of checking in on hundreds of criminals weekly impossible, it is also a public safety risk.

With the help of GPS tracking devices, parole officers can keep an electronic eye on all offenders at all times. In addition to regular meetings and phone calls, GPS trackers would provide another way for parole officers to stay in-touch with criminals.

While combining GPS trackers with parole officers has not been implemented yet, it is an idea that is bound to be tested very soon. There’s no cutting back on the number of criminals that are released into society, but technology has found a way to ensure that those criminals are constantly supervised.

The average parolee must meet with their parole contact at least once per week –sometimes, once per month. During the rest of the week, parole officers make every attempt to know the whereabouts of their case assignments. Still, this is not always possible given time constraints and an abundance of case files.

The time that parolees spend not meeting with their parole officers can easily be spent doing other things—including criminal activities. Thus, the sheer lack of control over parolees can lead to an unstable community.

GPS technology is poised to assist parole officers with the difficult task of following parolees. The devices are accurate, they exist, and they have been proven affective time and again. Rather than assign parole officers more cases, doesn’t it make more sense to use GPS tracking technology?

Nothing can replace human insight and instinct when it comes to following parolees, but the addition of technology will certainly help to make streets safer. In fact, technology exists in order to better our world, so why not take advantage of it? GPS tracking devices can assist parole officers with their duties, which means that a lot less criminals will be able to get away with crime when parole officers aren’t looking.

By Greg Bartlett

During the hot summer months only the most dedicated of runners commit to continue distance running outdoors. Possibilities of heat stroke, dehydration and sun poisoning increase as the temperature rises and runners should take precautions to keep from succumbing to the dangers of exertion in hot weather. Drinking lots of water, running in the early morning or late evening, and wearing light colored clothing and hats all contribute to safety on the running trail, but have you considered making a GPS tracking device part of your running safety routine as well?

GPS tracking devices come in many forms, but the most practical for runners might be the GPS watch. The device transmits location signals to your home computer and allows you to keep track of where you have been and how much distance you have covered. In addition, a family member can keep an eye on your whereabouts so that if you are gone longer than expected, they can check up on you. In cases of heat stroke or fainting, this knowledge could be lifesaving. As an added benefit, some GPS watches have built in heart rate monitors that allow you to gauge your fitness levels and calculate your progress over time.

Most runners are independent spirits who enjoy being out alone for long periods of time. While these distance running excursions can be exhilarating for you, they can be worrisome for a clock-watching spouse, especially if you do not arrive home when expected. If you are wearing your GPS tracking device watch, your spouse can quickly check your location in real time and be reassured of your safety. Some models also feature an alarm button that you can press if you need help. The device will send an alert letting someone know that you need assistance.

GPS tracking devices may seem like an expensive toy for individual use, but in reality they have lifesaving potential. You can’t predict what might happen that is beyond your control when you’re out alone exercising. In addition to heat exhaustion or other physical injury, you may encounter a thief looking for an easy target or an unfriendly dog that can overpower you. Your safety and the peace of mind provided to your spouse or family members far outweigh the initial cost of equipping yourself with a GPS watch. Running should be an enjoyable activity that keeps you fit both mentally and physically. Your investment in a GPS watch will ensure that it remains just that.

By Harriette Halepis

Using GPS tracking systems to track criminals has been widespread lately. Various states have adopted policies that include the tracking of criminals, while other states are not too quick to implement GPS tracking technology.

While it seems as though the types of criminals that are forced to wear tracking devices varies from area to area, sex offenders and domestic abusers are generally pinpointed. This selectivity has caused a great deal of public anger. Further, it has prompted many different people to point towards other types of offenders that should be tracked in lieu of sex offenders and domestic violence offenders.

The question is: who should be tracked? What kind of criminal should be followed for the rest of their life, while other criminals are left undisturbed? Is the sex offender or domestic abuser any less of a threat to society than someone that has been convicted of drug smuggling or murder?

What about the accusations that tracking criminals via GPS is against human rights? Some might argue that convicted criminals lost their right to basic human rights when they violated the rights of their victims. Others may state that all humans living in a society have the right to basic necessities (food, water, shelter), but what about the right to be reintegrated into society without being tracked regularly?

Then there’s the practical side of the human rights debate – it’s just not possible to track every single criminal on the face of the planet. Even if it were possible, who would pay for all of that tracking technology?

Some states are now requiring criminals to pay for their own tracking devices (about $8 per day). Other states are setting up entire police tracking teams that exist solely to track criminals all day (and night) long.
These are some possibilities, but until a concrete solution to these tracking problems can be found, the logical thing to do is narrow down the list of criminals by selecting who should, and shouldn’t be tracked. How does a state or government go about creating such a list?

Perhaps our society should simply put into practice that age-old Exodus saying: “an eye for an eye.” Murderers might be best served by being murdered, and sex offenders may be punished by experiencing their own crimes – then again, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” (Mahatma Ghandi).

Or, maybe we could resort to Ancient Greek and Roman standards by exiling criminals to distant locations. Execution seemed to work just fine for Henry VIII (who didn’t discriminate between murderers, gypsies, or petty thieves). Even our present society keeps “track” of criminals through the usage of parole officers and “check-ins.”

In the end, selecting the types of criminals that should be tracked via GPS is a near impossibility. While all criminals cannot be tracked, those that can be tracked should be. Why? Our society does not stone people to death, we do not take an “eye for an eye,” and we do not mutilate criminals.

Instead, we simply slap a GPS tracking device on those that pose the biggest threat to our society. In the end, the GPS tracking solution seems to be the easiest — and most humane — way of keeping an eye on criminals that has ever been invented.

By Greg Bartlett

As GPS tracking systems become more popular, they will also become more affordable. Each year there are several new GPS trackers on the market, for both passive and real time tracking. Companies competing with each other to sell the most tracking devices will drive the price down and make these systems easier on the wallet.

However, it is also possible to buy a refurbished GPS tracker, which will save you even more cash. Refurbished GPS tracking systems are available online at a wide range of prices. This allows you to either save money on the device that you were looking for, or get even more features for the price of the new unit that you were thinking of buying.

Refurbished GPS tracking systems are not necessarily even used systems. These tracking devices were sent back to the manufacturer for one problem and can be resold after they are fixed. These devices are even better than purchasing a used system, because they probably received even less wear before a defective part was discovered and it was sent back to the manufacturer.

Saving money on a GPS tracking device is always a good idea, but a refurbished tracker is a great way to do that because it will work just as good as a new tracker. Used GPS tracking systems could have many parts that are showing wear and could soon break, but a refurbished device only had one defect and that has been fixed. Most likely the system was not used very much at all and it is practically new, not just new to you.

Reputable online stores like Amazon.com are a better choice to find refurbished GPS tracking systems than pawn shops and other small retail stores. These kinds of sites can be trusted with your credit card information and they also allow you to make returns. Buying a GPS tracker through a reputable site will guarantee that you will be satisfied with the transaction as well as your newly refurbished GPS.

In a time when people are trying to save money and trim their budget whenever they can, it could be easy to think that a GPS tracking device is out of your price range. However, buying a refurbished tracker could make buying a system much more affordable. Take a look online and you just may be able to find a great deal on a practically new GPS tracker that will allow you to benefit from GPS technology without hurting your budget.