Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Federal Appeals Court Hears Warrantless GPS Tracking Case

May 23rd, 2013

It’s the issue that just won’t go away, and for good reason. Many Americans are passionate about their privacy, and this case puts that well-protected privacy at risk. In March, the 3^rd US Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments from both the ACLU and the Obama administration, and must decide whether or not to allow the act of placing GPS tracking devices onto the vehicles of suspected criminals without a warrant.

This all stems from the Jones case, where the court ruled then that it was unconstitutional to do so – it goes against the Fourth Amendment, after all. The Obama administration jumped in and requested an appeal to overturn the case. This would give them full reign to rely on continuous GPS tracking for suspected criminals, without the need to prove probable cause to a judge.

What The Obama Administration Believes

According to those within the federal government who support this, they want exceptions for law enforcement to be able to conduct certain searches and seizures. The list includes criminals on probation and students, with these searches and seizures conducted in the name of securing US borders or apprehending suspected narcotics dealers.

The Obama administration went before the court and said that GPS tracking of citizens without a warrant should be an option based on probable cause alone, whether the opinion of federal or local law enforcement. No judge should have to decide.

What They Said

Lawyers for Obama said, “Requiring a warrant and probable cause before officers may attach a GPS device to a vehicle, which is inherently mobile and may no longer be at the location observed when the warrant is obtained, would seriously impede the government’s ability to investigate drug trafficking, terrorism, and other crimes. Law enforcement officers could not use GPS devices to gather information to establish probable cause, which is often the most productive use of such devices. Thus,, the balancing of law enforcement interests with the minimally intrusive nature of GPS installation and monitoring makes clear that a showing of reasonable suspicion suffices to permit use of a ‘slap-on’ device like that used in this case.”

The ACLU Speaks Out

The ACLU holds an entirely differing opinion. According to Catherine Crump, ACLU attorney, the warrant “is particularly important when it comes to GPS tracking because the technology is cheap, convenient, difficult to detect, and highly intrusive…given how easy and inexpensive it is to track a suspect using GPS, neither cost nor effort will stop the government in using it in cases where it isn’t reasonable. The courts must impose strict limitations on the use of this technology in order to protect the right of all Americans to go about their daily lives without being tracked by the government.”

Do you side with the government or the ACLU on this issue? We’d love to get your feeback!

GPS Bracelets For Human Rights Workers

May 22nd, 2013

Swedish human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders, existing to defend the civil and political rights of people, has developed a special GPS tracking bracelet in the hopes of keeping their workers safe from harm out in the field.

The GPS tracking bracelet and network of watchers is dubbed the Natalia Project, named after the 2009 kidnapping and murder victim Natalia Estemirova, a Chechen civil rights worker.

How It Works

If a person wearing the GPS tracking bracelet is abducted or attacked, an alert is transmitted to the other members of the network thanks to cellular phone technology. The bracelet can also transmit pre-written messages upon activation. Activation is either done manually by the wearer, if they feel threatened, or automatically upon the forcible removal of the bracelet by kidnappers or attackers.

The Civil Rights Defenders said, “The bracelet has been developed and tested to make sure it works with ease – even in the most demanding situations. When a distress signal is sent out, Civil Right Defenders will validate the signal, take appropriate action and keep you updated on the situation as it unfolds.”

GPS Tracking Bracelet To The Rescue

When the device is activated, it transmits crucial GPS location data regarding where the person was attacked as well as who was attacked. Messages can be posted to Twitter and Facebook as well, which according to BBC helps “rally support” when something goes wrong. Another plus: the device alerts aid workers close to the attack so that they can try to help.

“Civil Rights Defenders wants people to sign up to monitor the bracelets of individual rights workers via social media. It hopes the global involvement will act as a deterrent to anyone planning attacks on aid workers,” said BBC News. They added the people monitoring the bracelets could “help bring pressure to bear on governments to find or release people abducted or jailed.”

Civil Rights Defenders intends to have 55 bracelets on the wrists of human rights workers by the end of 2014. The need for these devices is highlighted by the executive director of the Civil Rights Defenders, Robert Hardh: “Most of us, given the chance, would like to help others in danger. These civil rights defenders are risking their lives for others to have the right to vote, or to practice religion or free speech.”

GPS: How It Started, And What It’s Become

May 22nd, 2013

Forty years ago, Professor Colonel Bradford W. Parkinson chaired a group of members of the Air Force who would eventually go on to create a system that relied on satellites to calculate as closely as possible the position of a person on the ground holding the proper receiver, what we know as GPS location today. Now 78 years old, he recalls what it was like, and how far the program has come.

“The innovator,” he said at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, paraphrasing Machiavelli, “has for enemies all who have done well under the old condition and lukewarm defenders who may do well under the new.”

GPS Is Everywhere

I don’t think you can say GPS technology has any enemies. With all of the gadgets incorporating GPS technology – smartphones, sports watches, athletic apparel, vehicles – I think it’s safe to say the market is ever-expanding. Currently, there are approximately six hundred million GPS devices being used all over the world. As Parkinson pointed out, they are accurate “down to a snail’s eyebrow.”

Parkinson says it’s “pretty darn surprising” to see the range of applications one can find GPS devices: emergency dispatch; air traffic control; locating Alzheimer’s patients and missing children; search and rescue missions; geocaching; guiding farm equipment; and tracking military soldiers and equipment, just to name a few.

Where GPS Started

The first true GPS device was an experimental one. A military aircraft carried the device, which monitored signals being sent out from four locations on the ground. Five years later, the satellites were launched into orbit, and in September of 1983, two weeks following the death of 269 people when the Soviet Air Force shot down a Korean airliner, president Ronald Reagan gave it the green light to be used by the public.

GPS Today

What started as a location approximation is now incredibly precise. How precise? Our current GPS technology is so accurate in three dimensions, measurements taken in space of the instabilities in the Juan de Fuca Plate (where scientists believe an earthquake will occur that will destroy Vancouver) are precise up to a tenth of a millimeter.

Too Good To Be True?

Do we really have a right to know where anyone is at any given time? The issue is being raised in the court system, but what does Parkinson think?

“Criminals know they’re being tracked and they don’t want to be,” he said. “Teenagers probably have a similar view of life.”

A reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press, upon discovering the devices known as jammers, which is purported to be “a popular item with sales personnel, truckers, and delivery drivers who wish to take lunch or make a personal stop outside of their territory or route off the radar,” asked Parkinson, “Isn’t it natural to want to disappear sometimes?”

His reply: “Most of us are uncomfortable with someone following us all the time. But the real answer for why these things exist is that some people in China discovered there’s a market for this.”

Windows Phone Gets That Much Better With GPS Apps

May 20th, 2013

It’s rare for Microsoft to be the new kid on the block. In 2001, Microsoft began an extremely expensive foray into the console gaming market with the Xbox. To some, the idea was laughable; the corporation had for decades been known for its productivity software and PC operating systems. Microsoft leader Bill Gates, however, indefatigably marketed the machine, aggressively pursued top-tier game developers in an already competitive marketplace, and turned the Microsoft brand into one of gaming’s “Big Three.” Once again, Microsoft was king of electronic software.

Then Apple game-changed everything again. The iPhone, possibly the most fundamentally market-shifting consumer electronics device since the personal computer, changed the way we interact with computers. It was a handheld computer, no larger than a pack of cigarettes, enabling users to do most of the things people do on their desktop computers. Smart phones changed communication; they changed gaming; they changed the way the Internet is used; they changed the way we interact with the world.

Once again, however, Microsoft’s competitive spirit came out to play. Never content to be in second place, the software juggernaut set its sights on mobile. Released last year, the Windows Phone was designed to compete with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Maybe, like Xbox, it wouldn’t be the most original Microsoft product ever invented. It would, however, have a ton of money behind it.

Windows Phone came out to largely “meh” reactions last year. The biggest problem was a lack of software. The phones themselves were fine–but the market was already comfortable with Android and iOS; third party software developers have been slow in getting on the Microsoft train.

That’s about to change, in some small measure, thanks to high-powered GPS tracking apps. We’re not just talking GPS gimmick navigating software like Waze, etc. We’re talking high-powered software designed to replace the full-powered GPS devices installed in automobiles. Software that uses hyper-accurate maps worldwide. Powerful software that automatically reroutes based on up-to-date traffic pattern data. Software that is fully integrated with the most popular search engines, including Google, Yelp!, etc. Software that is, in short, designed to be the ultimate road navigating solution for Windows phones.

Will Microsoft claw its way into the “Big Three” phone operating system providers? While the software giant has had a slow start, Microsoft’s tenacity will no doubt serve it well as it plows forward into the world of mobile. Its efforts will no doubt be helped by many exciting GPS apps.

Wisconsin Tightens Restraining Order Violation Laws with GPS Tracking

May 20th, 2013

Should it be lawful to electronically monitor specific offenders deemed potentially “high risk” who have not yet ever violated a restraining order? Governor Scott Walker of Brookfield, Wisconsin, stirred up a controversy this year when he answered yes. He has recommended setting aside grants totalling $3 million to fund the project that would track via GPS technology individuals who are considered too unsafe not to supervise but have as yet done nothing after receiving the restraining order to warrant the tracking.

The portion allotted from the grant comes from an even larger $14 million set aside for law enforcement departments involved in monitoring internet activities for criminal use to sexually manipulate children and bolstering the safety of victims of sex crimes (protection in transport to court, emergency response to a call, etc). The restraining order part of Governor Walker’s plan comes with certain criteria necessary to be met to prevent “just anybody” from being slapped with a GPS tracking device. Wisconsin already has in place “Cindy’s Law” which makes lawful the GPS tracking of criminals who have previously broken the conditions of their restraining order. Violators are GPS tracked for both date/time and location. whether after release from prison back into public domain or even if they’ve never been in jail, to ensure they do not enter an exclusion zone, an area predefined in the restraining order. The criminal will be dealt with the authorities upon crossing the exclusion zone if it was previously deemed unlawful as well as unsafe for the petitioner of the restraining order.

To GPS track specific hazardous individuals who have never violated their restraining order, certain prior behavior will have had to occur. The Governor’s proposal stipulates the criminal must have before caused physical abuse to the petitioner or household pet(s), an incident of strangling or sexual abuse, vandalism to the petitioner’s personal property, including forced access to him or her. The violator can also be eligible for GPS tracking if he or she has ever made any verbal threats of injury to anyone (not just the victim), including using or declaring intention to use a gun or other dangerous weapon.

Britain: GPS Tracking Of Stolen Vehicles Put To The Test

May 18th, 2013

GPS tracking devices have been relied upon by many private investigators for a long time. They are effective in locating just about anything all over the world, especially expensive items like iPhones and cars.

Over in the UK, the Telegraph reported recently on a CCTV video released by the West Midlands Police showing two men stealing a BMW 118D from a hotel parking lot in Ladywood, Birmingham in under 15 seconds. This certainly shows the merits of a GPS tracking device when it comes to recovering your stolen car. The two men, brothers, stole a total of 13 cars over the period of 20 days, a combined value of about £250,000. The GPS tracking device, very well hidden on the BMW, directed police right to the garage attached to the brothers’ house in Brierley Hill’s Old Bush Industrial estate in Birmingham.

The brothers were sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles at Birmingham Crown Court.

GPS: Recovering Cars Quickly and Easily

Investigating officer DC Matt Dyer of the West Midlands Police said, “This was an organized, sophisticated operation with high performance cars being stolen in less than 60 seconds. Their method of entry was somewhat rudimentary, but once inside they clearly demonstrated technical skill to start the engine very quickly.

“Our investigation led us to recover all but one of the cars they stole. Car theft is a very risky business given that so many are now fitted with (GPS) tracker devices and that our road network is covered extensively by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras which allow us to monitor vehicle movement.”

Private Investigator Agrees

Private Investigator, an independent detective agency out of Birmingham, also relies on GPS tracking devices. They also turn to the devices in cases where one spouse is said to be cheating on the other to see where it is they are going. As soon as the device is affixed to the vehicle, tracking can begin. The use of tracking devices on the vehicles stolen by the brothers allowed the owners to be reunited with their property.

Says Kristy George, spokeswoman for Private Investigator: “In my professional opinion these brothers were lucky to have stolen as many cars as they did with all the crime prevention modern technology available. An expensive vehicle like a BMW should be fitted with a GPS tracker for the owner’s peace of mind.”

An Update On OR-7

May 17th, 2013

OR-7, also known as “The Lone Wolf,” is still wandering the wilderness, being tracked via GPS tracking collar. We’ve provided updates along his journey, and will continue to do so until he can be tracked no more. It seems the famous gray wolf has crossed Interstate 5 a total of two times in the past few months.

For the past six weeks, the 4-year-old wolf has been meandering his way in and out of Jackson County, occasionally heading into the eastern portion of Douglas County, and then heading back for a short while to California, where he had his first I-5 crossing experience.

The GPS tracking collar shows the wolf crossing the Interstate near Yreka, CA which is in the northern portion of the state. This is the farthest west the wolf has ever traveled in the entire 19 months he’s been wearing the GPS tracking device, according to US Fish and Wildlife Service reps.

After crossing I-5, he turned around and headed the way he came, again crossing the Interstate. John Stephenson, a USFWS biologist who’s responsible for watching OR-7 move about the area from the comforts of his Bend, OR office said, “Hopefully, he’ll stop doing that. That’s not a good strategy for longevity.”

He trekked north again according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, heading into the southeastern part of Jackson County and the hills to the south of Emigrant Lake just east of Ashland.

OR-7 is the only known gray wolf ambling about California since 1924. And when he is in Oregon, he is the first known gray wolf residing west of the Cascades ever since the last one was killed in order to protect livestock in the area back in 1937.

Mark Vargas is with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Rogue District, working as a wildlife biologist. He said, “Man, that wolf can travel. The distances he’s covering is amazing. He could be back in Siskiyou County (California) as we speak.”

OR-7 has been traveling from Oregon to California and back again last spring as well, in his quest to find a place to call home and a mate. He ended up almost in Nevada, at which point he turned around and walked all the way back. Vargas says, “Who knows where he’s going.”

You can be sure we will keep you up to date as to the movements of this great creature. The entire world seems to be watching, too: his story has been covered in a total of five continents.

Lawmakers Trying to Limit The Use of GPS Tracking By Law Enforcement

May 17th, 2013

Legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the House and the Senate that requires police to obtain a warrant prior to collecting data from a suspect’s tablet, cellphone, car, or any other electronic device.

The Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance (GPS) Act addresses both location records held by cellphone service providers and real-time tracking of people as they move about town.

A total of 9 representatives in the House along with two senators brought the bills forward respectively. Among them: representatives Jason Chaffetz, John Conyers, and Jim Sensenbrenner, and Senators Ron Wyden an Mark Kirk.

This legislation will not only require a warrant: it will also deem illegal the use of any electronic device to track a person’s location covertly. This part of the bill addresses the problem of the jealous boyfriend who tracks his girlfriend with an app he secretly installs on her iPhone. It also relates to companies as well, requiring their employees to grant permission to gather GPS location data.

“New technologies are making it increasingly easy to track and log the location of individuals. We need to make sure laws are keeping up with technology to protect our privacy,” said Chaffetz. “Put simply, the government and law enforcement should not be able to track somebody indefinitely without their knowledge or consent or without obtaining a probable cause warrant from a judge.”

Wyden agrees: “The GPS Act provides law enforcement with a clear mandate for when to obtain a warrant for the geolocation information of an American…It also provides much-needed legal clarity for commercial service providers who often struggle to balance the privacy of their customers with requests for information from law enforcement. Finally, it protects the privacy and civil liberty of any American using a GPS-enabled device.”

There is an exception: the bill allows GPS tracking in emergency situations or issues of national security.

GPS Device Helped Land D.C. Shooting Suspect In Jail

May 17th, 2013

A 19-year-old man was connected to the horrific mass shooting on North Capitol Street in Washington D.C. in early March thanks to the court appointed GPS tracking ankle bracelet, according to court documents.

That’s right: the suspect, Craig Steven Wilson of Southeast Washington, was wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet. In D.C. Superior Court, the judge asked that he be detained until the date of his next hearing, even though he was already under court supervision.

Wilson, upon his arrest, was charged with assault with intent to kill after the March 11 shooting, which wounded 13 people, one of whom is listed in critical condition, outside of an apartment high-rise off New York Avenue.

Although court documents state how the suspect was caught, no motive is given as to why Wilson opened fire that morning at approximately 2:10 in the morning. The surveillance video shows the barrage of gunfire and victims hitting the ground, leaving residents in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street NW quite uneasy. It is also near to NoMa, which is an up-and-coming area for upscale shopping and residents.

One of the two cars used in the shooting belonged to Wilson, which they determined through viewing security cameras and obtaining the license plate number.

Upon learning his identity, they checked out the location data on his GPS tracking bracelet: it placed him two blocks from the shooting scene at approximately one hour prior to the shooting. When they looked at further GPS location data, they “watched” him circle the block for over an hour, culminating in him speeding past the building and opening fire.

In 2012, D.C. Superior Court mandated GPS monitoring for 1,351 defendants; 110 of those were arrested thanks to the device and charged with new crimes. 11 of them involved violence.

It is clear that GPS monitoring of criminals is an important step to holding them accountable for any future actions they might commit, as well as providing rock solid evidence placing them at the scene of a crime.

Sports Watch Meets GPS Tracking Device

May 15th, 2013

If you’re a gadget person, or even if you’re not, you’ll have to admit this latest addition to the GPS tracking device market is pretty cool. The Switch series watches for athletes, the newest crossover navigational tool is being premiered in Europe. This handy piece of technology not only tells you where you are and how to get to where you want to go, but also helps you meet your fitness performance goals.

Fitness Watch/Training Tool

This combination watch and GPS tracking device is tailored especially for those who participate in outdoor sports such as running, swimming, biking and other related activities. It’s available through select retailers and, of course, the European distribution network. The Switch and Switch Up watches record performance data for multisport athletes, who may also upload and track their data online using metrics, maps and intuitive charts– all from one spot on the globe.

Stay on Target

Runners will find this crossover watch/GPS especially useful. It includes such innovative features as an “Activity Pacer” which monitors whether the runner is on track with the goal and offers specific targets to get the desired result. As a navigational tool, it allows you to mark and save locations and navigate back to an original spot. You can also configure calories spent based on time, heart rate, speed and distance. Nine customizable sport profiles add to the watch’s appeal.

Bonus Features

If you choose the Switch Up watch, you get a fully loaded product that, in addition to all the features on the Switch watch, also tells you temperature and barometric pressure. Other available accessories include a quick release mount for wrist and bike to allow for easy transition between activities. If you need more than eight hours of battery life, you can buy the optional battery extender pack.

Athlete Friendly

You can tell that this fitness tool is designed for active people: it has an easy-to-read, high resolution display to increase its visibility on the run. The battery’s endurance is eight hours, making its power last as long as the activity. The GPS receiver is highly sensitive so you can depend on its accuracy. Going for a swim, or participating in a triathlon? That should be no problem for the Switch: it is water resistant to 50 meters. It is also compatible with ANT+ sensors, so you can coordinate it with your other technology. This clever sports watch, with its wide range of appeal should be a good fit for many.