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by James Neely - freelance writer for hire

In Houston, Texas, a bank robber blamed the economy as the reason that he was taking money at gunpoint. It does bring out a discussion about the role of the economy as a motive for people who are desperate and need money on which to live and feed their families.

On the one hand, we have those who show empathy for them and want to discount their actions because of their dire circumstances. On the other, there is the belief that you do not steal anything that is not yours at gunpoint, no matter how desperate the need.

The reason is that our cities and towns all have social services that are in operation virtually 24×7 for the express purpose of serving those less fortunate who need assistance.

So the debate turns to the capture of those who rob. The means and methods vary, but one that is gaining a lot of popularity is in the deployment and use of GPS tracking devices.

Banks and other companies are using these units to help police track down the criminals who rob with disregard for safety and the lives of others.

Being able to track robbers by this method helps maintain a safer community as well because a high-speed chase becomes irrelevant since the GPS tracking device is emitting a signal that can be tracked anywhere it is taken.
Bank robbers have already been caught within minutes of their crime with the evidence in hand and completely unaware of the GPS tracking device that was placed in the bag of loot.

This is one of the best methods of crime detection and deterrents that is available today. True, once this method catches on, criminals will become wise to the tactic and ditch the bag early in the process. That will just force those who manufacture these devices to make them even more inconspicuous and difficult to locate during a get-away.

The see-saw game of police tactics and criminal methods will continue to move up and down, but the upper hand is clearly with law enforcement. Even using more traditional methods, most criminals get caught
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But until you walk in the shoes of those who are in need and are desperate to get money for their situation, it might do well to keep the discussion about the detection and deterrent methods available.

A GPS tracking device will continue to be a player in this field for a very long time to come.