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An increasing number of Florida consumer electronics users are using GPS devices in order to find their consumer electronics, including smart phones and other cell phones. A report in the Orlando Sentinel reports that many South Florida cell phone users are using GPS tracking technology to find their lost or stolen devices. Many applications have been released for iPhones, Android handsets, and other phones.

However, South Florida police urge against using vigilante justice in order to catch thieves who steal these types of devices. “Police are trained to handle these confrontations with dishonorable people,” a Riviera Beach police spokesperson said to the Orlando Sentinel.

GPS Tracking in Phones

All cell phones come with a GPS chip. Consumers, such as these in Florida, use GPS technology to find their lost phones from a laptop or other type of device. A blip comes up on a map that shows a small radius in which the phone can be located. Consumers are advised by Florida police departments to stop their searches here, providing information to their local police department in order to regain their phones or other types of devices.

Drawbacks to GPS Tracking for Stolen Items

The convenience and security of tracking expensive electronic devices using GPS technology is not perfect, however. This technology can bring to light some ambiguous situations in which it is not totally clear who is in the right. Take, for example, Calvin Lee Williams of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Williams is accused of selling a stolen phone. He said he simply found it in the parking lot and wanted to pawn it for some extra cash. The GPS in the phone, however, traced police to the pawn shop and then to Williams when the owner reported his phone stolen.

GPS tracking technology, particularly in the form of software interfaces for current electronic devices, is on the rise. As more and more Florida individuals (and individuals in America as a whole) use these GPS tracking systems, consumers can feel more confident that their
electronics are safe – no matter how forgetful or careless with their devices they may be.

Article Written by Greg Minton