By Greg Bartlett

Technology provides criminals with means of perpetrating crimes never before imaginable. Fortunately, law enforcement officials have recognized the value of technology in the fight against crime and have attempted to stay abreast of the criminal world by using recent technological advancements.

GPS & Theft

One area of technology employed by law enforcement officials is the GPS tracking system. A GPS tracking system comes in two different varieties. Passive GPS tracking systems utilize a small device that records directional movement which can later be recovered from the device and downloaded onto a computer. The second type of GPS tracking system is a live tracking GPS system. A GPS tracking device is mounted on the object to be tracked. These devices transmit directional information and tracking data to a satellite. The data is then available to the GPS tracking system user for real time access to the tracking device‘s whereabouts.

Live tracking systems can even deliver rich photographic information of the location of the GPS tracking device and whatever the device is attached to. GPS live tracking has become useful to law enforcement for investigations of theft.  A recent example of how GPS tracking devices are being used by law enforcement to investigate theft occurred in Hernando County Florida on March 17th, 2010.

After a string of burglaries in abandoned homes in the neighborhood, police planted GPS tracking devices on large appliances in several empty homes. Michael Anthony Lander was arrested on Wednesday after data from one of the trackers, mounted on a refrigerator was traced to his home. Landers had stolen the refrigerator along with a stove from an abandoned home the day before. Subsequently, he had sold the refrigerator for $225 on Craigslist. When police located the refrigerator, the person he had sold it to reported that he had gotten the refrigerator from Lander. Landers admitted to burglarizing 14 homes in the area.

In this case, GPS tracking devices enabled law enforcement officers to catch a thief who might have continued to perpetuate his crime for some time. Investigators found 34 items on Craigslist posted by Landers. A GPS tracking device enabled police to catch the thief.

For investigators with an interest in keeping tabs on criminal activity, a GPS tracking device may be the answer. Assets, vehicles, subjects, and sensitive packages can all be monitored with up to the minute information available from a laptop computer to the investigator who has employed GPS tracking devices.