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By Greg Bartlett

Vehicle thefts aren’t limited to expensive BMWs and crime scene getaway cars. Police departments report that theft is a problem for farm and construction equipment too. If a thief can get his hands on these types of machines, he can turn around and sell them for a nice profit. Unfortunately for the criminally inclined, however, law enforcement officers have begun using GPS tracking in their efforts to thwart the thefts.

GPS & Auto Theft

GPS tracking allows officers to fight crime in two ways. First, they can apply a transmitter to a suspect’s car in order to monitor his activity. Many states require a warrant to track a person’s car without his knowledge, but the benefits of obtaining such a warrant can be enormous. Police officers contend that the ability to place a suspect at the scene of the crime, or even in the vicinity of numerous thefts, can be crucial to convicting that suspect in court. GPS tracking gives them the knowledge they need to recover vehicles and take criminals off the streets.

Another way police departments use GPS tracking to monitor car theft is to place a “baited” vehicle in an area where numerous thefts have been reported. Officers choose a vehicle similar to those that have been stolen, equip it with a GPS tracking device, and wait for the thief to strike. When he does, they can follow the transmitter’s signal and nab the suspect. This method has shown great success, especially in rural areas where theft of large machinery is common. Officers have also applied this technique in cities during large events such as a bike or car show, when theft of a particular type of vehicle is easier.

Across the nation, GPS tracking has helped reduce vehicle theft by almost 30% in the last year, with certain areas reporting even greater drops in theft rates. The technology works by sending a signal at specified intervals from a transmitter placed on the vehicle to a receiving device. Officers can monitor the location of the tracking device at any given time, enabling them to know immediately if a vehicle has been stolen and where it is currently located. Although GPS tracking cannot necessarily prevent theft, it can increase the rate of recovery dramatically.

GPS tracking can monitor thousands of cars without requiring any extra manpower on the part of law enforcement officials, a benefit which greatly increases the effectiveness of financially strapped departments. With GPS tracking on the job, criminals never know when the eyes of the law might be watching.