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Daily GPS News

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.”

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.”

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.

Stiffer Penalties Await Parolee’s Tampering with GPS Devices

May 15th, 2013

It seems that California’s overcrowded prison system can’t win. Gang violence has long been a problem for cities like L.A., Oakland, San Jose, and the Iron Triangle district of Richmond, which have all earned well deserved reputations as some of the nation’s most dangerous areas. And the economic downturn of the last decade certainly has not helped curb the violence as cities forced to make cuts have trimmed police forces as well as after school programs that help keep kids of the streets.

Ongoing violence and the felons convicted under the three strikes law have contributed to a rapidly burgeoning state prison system. Hoping to relieve some of the burden on the prison system, the California legislature enacted AB 109, a law which downgraded parole violations from a state prison offense to a county prison offense. While the bill may have seemed like a good idea, it was only a matter of time before criminals discovered how to use it to their advantage.

With the punishment for parole violations now less severe than before, parolees with GPS bracelets attached to them became more brazen in their attempts to rid themselves of their tracking devices and slip through the hands of the law. In the 15 months before AB 109 was enacted, only 221 state parolees tampered with their GPS tracking device, according to state Senator Ted Lieu, who is leading an effort to amend the bill. In the same time period since the bill was passed, 482 parolees attempted to break or cut off their GPS tracking bracelet, and that number can only be expected to grow as stories of success trickle through the criminal underworld.

Senator Lieu’s new bill, labeled SB 57, would give judges the authority to have parolees found guilty of tampering with the GPS tracking device sent to state prison for up to three years, essentially making the crime a federal offense. GPS tracking devices have proven very useful to law enforcement in recent years, allowing them to keep a close on former cons being reintroduced to society and providing accountability for minor offenders in need of a reminder to behave. With crime on the rise, now is the time to be cracking down on known offenders trying to skirt the law again, not handing out lighter sentences. If tampering with GPS tracking devices is once again made punishable by a significant length of time in state prison, the number of parolee’s tampering with their devices will dwindle allowing law enforcement officials to keep track of known criminals while still giving them time to find new offenders.

Kidnapper Tracked Down Using GPS Technology

May 13th, 2013

From recording sports data to providing directions to a destination, GPS technology has many applications to everyday life. Recently, a Delaware police department put GPS to work to catch a dangerous fugitive.

The Crime

One early morning in February, Edward Thomas Johnson entered a home in North Versailles Township, violated an order of protection, assaulted his girlfriend, and kidnapped his infant son. He then left the area, leaving police with a warrant but no criminal to arrest. The North Versailles police suspected that Johnson had fled to nearby Upper Darby, so they contacted the police for that area.

The Chase

Using the GPS technology built into Johnson’s cellphone, the Upper Darby police obtained geographic coordinates for his location. This information verified that the fugitive was indeed hiding in Upper Darby, but that left quite an area to be searched. Police then took the coordinates and entered them into Google Earth. The computer program narrowed down the possible area to the 500 block of 69^th Street. With this condensed search radius, about six officers began going house-to-house, knocking on doors, and asking residents if they knew Johnson.

The Capture

When officers reached one particular home, a woman came to the door. Asked if she knew Johnson, she hesitated, and then reported that he was her son and was sleeping on her couch. Police entered the residence, arrested Johnson, charged him with being a fugitive, and placed him in jail until North Versailles police could come to pick him up. The infant was also found in the home and was unharmed. The child was transported to a nearby hospital to be evaluated, placed in the temporary custody of Children and Youth Services, and eventually reunited with his mother.

This incident is a classic example of how GPS tracking technology can help police departments and other law enforcement agencies. Without the technology, police would have a lengthy search lasting days or weeks and might never have located Johnson. Instead, what could have become an extended manhunt was quickly resolved through the use of a GPS-equipped cell phone and Google Earth. With positive example like this one, it is very likely that GPS devices will play an even greater role in law enforcement in the days to come.

How to Retrieve a Stolen Vehicle: GPS in Action

May 12th, 2013

There are times when concerns over a user’s privacy and security while using GPS tracking location services seem justified. Then again, there are also times wherein location services prove themselves to be the valuable tools many claim them to be. One man in particular was able to retrieve his stolen vehicle thanks to the GPS tracking location services-enabled Smartphone he had forgotten in the back seat of his SUV.

On a cold wintry morning earlier this year, an Omaha civilian man found that his SUV had been stolen from right out of his front driveway while he had been waiting inside his home while the vehicle warmed up. After calling the police, this man was informed that the authorities could do nothing directly until they had proof of the theft; the location of the missing SUV at least. This Omaha man then decided to try using a Smartphone app to try and locate his cell, remembering that he had forgotten the mobile device in the SUV before it was stolen from him. Thanks to the GPS tracking location services on his phone, this Omaha man was able to ascertain the whereabouts of his SUV. Although it was a little more worn and torn than before, his vehicle was returned to him after the police came to retrieve the thief.

Many people have discovered the usefulness of GPS tracking location services in recent years due to the application of GPS technologies in mobile devices. From laptops to Smartphones to tablets, our on the go lifestyles have necessitated portability of our technologies. Being always out and about means that we are opened to vulnerabilities with which we do not have to deal while at home. Occurrences such as theft or loss of property are many times more likely to happen while away from home.

Protection against theft is made much easier by the utilization of GPS tracking systems. Implemented in nearly every mobile technological device, location services and item retrieval apps can be turned on or off by the user at any given time. Privacy settings and security are also being upgraded continually to provide users with peace of mind about turning on the GPS tracking features on their devices. With concerns over possible privacy violations being negated further and further as technology advances, GPS tracking device users can rest easy, thankful for this little wonder of our modern age.

GPS Tracking Locates Rite-Aid Pharmacy Robber

May 11th, 2013

Robbing a store isn’t as easy as it used to be, thanks to GPS tracking. These days, robbers have to worry about more than just covering their faces and avoiding cameras. They also have to worry about the possibility of being tracked once they leave the store.

On April 11, a man attempted to rob a Detroit Rite-Aid pharmacy by brandishing a gun and demanding cash. The store manager put nearly $5,000 dollars into the robber’s pillowcase. But he also managed to slip in a GPS tracking device, a little something extra that the thief hadn’t bargained for. Once the thief and his accomplice drove away, the device was activated and police were able to stop and search the vehicle just a few miles away.

GPS technology has proved helpful to law enforcement in a variety of different circumstances from hold-ups and bank robberies to tracking paroled sex offenders. In addition to showing location, many devices can alert officers if the wearer crosses a specified boundary, making them useful for monitoring off-limits areas like schools and playgrounds.

In the case of the Detroit robbery, a quick-thinking store manager was able to make the police officers’ job much easier by including a device that led them right to the suspects. And that’s not the first time police have tracked down robbers using a GPS device. In August of last year, Chicago police apprehended a bank robbery suspect using a tracking device that had been included with his stolen bag of cash.

There has been some question as to whether tracking devices should be used in certain cases (such as placing a device on a suspect’s car without a warrant in order to monitor his movements), but for the most part the relationship between the location-monitoring devices and law enforcement has been a positive one. And although the Supreme Court’s ruling last year stated that monitoring a vehicle’s movements with a tracking device constituted a search, it did not specify whether, in every case, that search would require a warrant.

Warrantless tracking is undoubtedly the last thing on the mind of the Rite-Aid pharmacy thief, however. He admitted to committing the robbery and is now facing charges of interfering with interstate commerce, which is a federal crime. It’s just one more victory for GPS tracking.

GPS Tracking Creates Rift Between City Officials and Unions

May 9th, 2013

Police and fire departments in Columbus, Ohio may be facing potential disciplinary actions based on data received from GPS tracking units. The city recently began installing the devices in marked fire and police vehicles with the goal of monitoring speed, fuel usage, and driver conduct. The city hopes to reduce costs and discourage improper use of the vehicles, but union workers say contracts must be renegotiated first.

Jason Pappas, president of the Columbus police union, said that the unions were not against the tracking devices per se, but that any disciplinary measures taken by the city would need to be negotiated under contract. So far, the city has refused.

Some city vehicles already have GPS tracking devices, and those devices revealed that seven firefighters were clocked at speeds of more than 100 mph. While policy does allow fire and police vehicles to drive at high speeds during emergencies if conditions are favorable, city investigators remain unsure as to whether these seven vehicles were, in fact, responding to emergencies.

The new GPS devices being installed will monitor speed, idling time, and vehicle routes in real time, making it easier to determine whether drivers are in fact responding to emergencies at any given time. Other city vehicles are on schedule to receive GPS tracking devices by the end of the year as well, meaning that the results of the union negotiation attempts and disciplinary agreements could affect those other departments as well.

Hundreds of businesses use GPS monitoring devices to keep an eye on their fleet vehicles. The devices help save money by reducing fuel costs, helping employees operate more efficiently, and reducing vehicle and equipment theft. They can keep track of speeds, stops, routes, idle times, and more, enabling companies to better train their employees in cost-effective driving practices and to address improper behavior behind the wheel.

The city of Columbus hopes to take advantage of these benefits by installing new GPS devices in nearly half of their total fleet. Currently, the police and fire unions are involved in informal talks with city officials regarding issues of safety and the protection of union members.

Because GPS tracking devices have such broad potential, policies must be set in place to protect the drivers who are under surveillance. The Columbus fire and police union presidents both hope to reach an agreement that negotiates disciplinary actions fairly while still providing cost-saving and safety-enhancing benefits for the city.

Active vs Passive GPS Monitoring Devices

May 4th, 2013

GPS monitoring devices have been used effectively for observing criminals serving supervised release sentences. However, a recent incident in Colorado raises questions about the type of device that should be used to do the monitoring.

The Criminal

Matthew Preston Caulk is a convicted sex offender. He was first convicted for a sexual assault in the state of Washington. After serving his sentence for that offense, he relocated to Colorado. He should have registered as a sex offender in his new city of residence, but he did not, making him a fugitive. He was found after he was featured on local news stations and on America’s Most Wanted. During his time without supervision, he is said to have been guilty of another sexual assault and when found, he was with an underage runaway. For this offense, he served 45 months in a federal prison and was sentenced to serve 8 years of supervised release.

The Situation

As a condition of his supervised release, Caulk was required to wear a GPS tracking device at all times. In his case, the device only provided passive monitoring. This means that the device only sends immediate warnings if it is tampered with or the wearer attempts to remove it. To obtain all other data, including location information, the offender must dock the device and upload the data. While wearing this device, Caulk went missing. Authorities eventually tracked him down and arrested him, but they were not able to get help from his monitoring device to locate him.

The Comparison

In contrast to Caulk’s situation in Aurora, most offenders in the Denver area wear GPS devices that provide active monitoring. This means that authorities are always able to access an offender’s location and may even receive immediate alerts if an individual leaves his prescribed area. The director of the halfway house where Caulk was staying defended the passive monitoring devices, stating that they were simply a part of the supervision of these offenders. He cited telephone check-in calls, sign-in/sign-out logs, and on-site and facility counts. He also stated that if an offender fails to check in by the prescribed time, local law enforcement is notified.

While passive GPS monitoring devices may certainly be useful for some low risk offenders, it seems that greater discretion concerning their use is necessary. In criminals who have already shown a tendency to run, or for those who are at risk for violent crimes, active GPS monitoring seems to be the safer and wiser option.