Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

GPS Tracking

February 13th, 2010

More organizations are benefiting from the location pinpointing ability of GPS tracking devices. One of the more innovative uses has been implemented by a Texas county to keep kids from skipping school. Offenders must appear before the Justice of the Peace, where they are given a GPS tracking device that they must carry during a probationary period.

GPS Tracking & Truancy

The GPS tracking device monitors the location of the students at any given time, and enforcement personnel can check at any time to ensure that they are attending classes as they should be. While traditional methods such as mentoring, court orders, and jail time for repeat offenders have yielded spotty results, the new method has resulted in 95% of monitored students attending classes as they are supposed to.

GPS tracking has proved useful for other law enforcement purposes as well. Departments routinely use the devices to monitor paroled sex offenders and have also seen a measure of success in using GPS vehicle tracking to keep an eye on suspected drug traffickers and other criminal suspects. While controversy exists over whether or not the technology violates privacy, the court system has upheld the use of GPS tracking in general, although some states require a warrant for tracking suspects without their knowledge.

The benefit provided by GPS tracking to law enforcement offices includes the ability to monitor multiple suspects or parolees without the need for additional manpower. They can also assist police with finding stolen property including automobiles and construction equipment, two prime targets for theft. Already strained departments can put their resources to the best use possible instead of placing officers on numerous stakeouts and information gathering assignments. Proponents of the technological solution say that placing a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s car is no different from assigning an officer to follow that suspect, since the transmitter cannot give any information beyond what could be gathered with the naked eye.

As more GPS tracking uses surface, the courts will undoubtedly have to contend with the constitutional question of whether GPS surveillance equates with unreasonable search. For now, departments are singing the praises of the devices, since they save not only manpower, but also limited department funds. More cases will undoubtedly be brought before state judicial systems as time progresses, but in the interim, the public can expect to see more innovative uses of the technology cropping up in law enforcement departments across the country.

Keeping Kids in School with GPS Tracking

January 31st, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

When it comes to truancy, there’s at least one town in Texas that’s taking matters into its own hands. High school students who deliberately miss class in Bryan, Texas will be given hand-held GPS trackers to encourage them to return to school. Brazos County Justice of the Peace Tommy Munoz says that this measure will show students that breaking laws—even small ones—has consequences. By implementing this “Attendance Improvement Management” (AIM, for short), Munoz hopes to deter kids from repeatedly ignoring truancy regulations, which can result in more severe punishments like mandatory ankle bracelet GPS trackers or even a trip to juvenile court.

GPS & Truancy

County judges often have a great deal of latitude in assigning punishments or behavior improvement programs to kids who commit lesser offences. The law allows a judge some flexibility to determine what may or may not encourage someone to get back on track. Many view GPS trackers as a simple preventative measure, and in the case of this town, the devices are small enough to be placed in a book bag alongside a cell phone. Munoz ruled out ankle bracelet GPS trackers since he didn’t want the program to seem like a humiliating, kiddie version of parole.

But for a problem such as truancy, technology can never be the full solution. Munoz also requires that repeat offenders attend counseling sessions with professionals who want to explain to the kids the benefits of staying in school. Parents will be involved in the program, providing their kids the GPS trackers in the morning and checking them in at night. Munoz understands that parental involvement is the most important factor. Previously he has addressed minor offenses by requiring students to attend a day of class along with a parent. The judge is known statewide for his creative problem solving.

Thankfully, Munoz’s use of GPS trackers is thoughtful and not draconian. Other states in previous years have attempted to pass laws requiring school-wide use of the devices. In the United Kingdom, a uniform company called Trutex has sold to some private schools uniforms that are already embedded with GPS trackers. In these—admittedly exclusive—academies every student is tracked at all times, regardless of his or her disciplinary record. By contrast, the students of Bryan County have much less supervision to worry about. With currently a 97% attendance rate, it looks like the system may be working.

GPS Trackers on American Campuses

December 15th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Colleges are businesses like any other, even if their clients are students and their service is higher education. And just like any other organization operating in this current economic climate, universities are desperate to find savings and increase productivity in every area. Campus services are expanding rapidly, and management can find it difficult keep track of it all. Thankfully, today’s GPS tracker technology offers a few solutions for students, teachers, and administrators alike.

College Students & GPS

In the interest of safety, some colleges have opted to provide individual or cell phone-based GPS trackers to their students. Montclair State in New Jersey has given some students GPS “timers” which can be activated in the case of emergency. If a student is stranded or needs help, he or she can notify campus security of his or her position. Given recent campus shootings, a well-integrated GPS and threat management system can help safety officials deal with the worst kinds of crises. Thankfully the technology hasn’t yet attracted wolf-criers, as security only receives an average of one notification per month.

Many schools issue school laptops to students needed aid, but unfortunately theft in the dorms can be a serious issue. A great way to mitigate the problem is to integrate a small GPS tracker into the university laptop. When students report a stolen computer, administrators can simply look up its current position. If the position is off-campus or even out of state, it can be reported to law enforcement, which can recover the laptop in due time. The same goes for teachers’ laptops, which are perhaps more prone to theft than others.

A variety of other activities can benefit from GPS trackers, as well. Many universities offer extensive shuttle services to their students, and like other public transportation systems, they can sometimes suffer from route inefficiency, which can quickly be cleared up after an analysis is made with GPS technology. Perhaps more useful in the long term is a reporting service that lets students track where campus shuttles are at any given moment and plan accordingly. One such network between the colleges of Notre Dame and Loyola offers students access to a website which shows the position of shuttles overlaid on a map.

As GPS tracking technology continues to impact every kind of business and organization, it’s nice to see effective GPS integration producing greater cost savings and efficiency to our nation’s schools.

Are Amusement Parks Dangerous For Kids?

May 16th, 2009

By Harriette Halepis

Kids love amusement parks. Clowns, toys, games, fun rides, and sticky treats all add up to a great day. While amusement parks are certainly a lot of fun, they can also be relatively dangerous. A large number of child molesters, kidnappers, and other types of criminals tend to lurk around park grounds.

Theme Park

The best way to make sure that your kids stay safe is to keep a careful eye on them at all times. Of course, this might not be easy considering the fact that there are hundreds inside of most parks at any given time. What can you do to protect your kids?

There are a couple of things that make a lot of sense when it comes to making sure your kids are safe inside of a park. Here are a few suggestions that have been proven effective time and time again.

Buddy System: if you plan to bring more than one child to a park at the same time, ask them to be responsible for each other. Using the buddy system has saved more than one child’s life.

Phone Number: make sure that your kids know your phone number. If your kids are too young to memorize a number, use a Safety Tat (temporary tattoo that is kid-safe) or write your phone number on a piece of paper, and place the paper inside of your child’s pocket.

Photographs: take pictures of your kids when you enter the park. This way, you can give a security guard the photos if your kids wander away.

GPS Locator: this might be the most effective method at all. Place a GPS tracker inside of a backpack or somewhere inside of your child’s clothing. A GPS locator will track your child’s every movement, and it will help police find your child if they should disappear.

It’s also a good idea to speak with your children before you head to the park. Let them know what they should do in case of an emergency. Devise a game plan that includes a meeting spot somewhere in the park.

Amusement parks can be a lot of fun for your kids. In fact, they are great when it comes to summer vacation or a fun family outing. Just make sure that keep your eye on your children at all times. Use the tips provided above to make sure that your kids are safe.

When it comes to your children, you can never have too many safety precautions set in place. The more that you prepare for any kind of emergency, the less likely it is to occur.

Boundaries Encourage Positive Behavior

May 13th, 2009

By James Neely

Children have innate needs to be close to those who love them and provide shelter and care where they cannot. This is understood in child-rearing. Also understood is the need to provide boundaries for actions by small children who, on their own, could do things that have disastrous consequences.

Student Driver

Why do we not apply this logic when children turn to teens and get their drivers licenses? Do they not also need boundaries and need to still be instructed on doing or not doing things that could hurt them severely? The answer is ‘yes.’

For teen drivers, the best method for helping direct their young, sometimes overeager minds is by installing and using a GPS Tracking system in the vehicles in which they will be driving and spending time with family and friends.

Boundaries established. Once the teen knows and understands the rules and laws that make up the boundaries, as well as understanding that they are being strictly enforced by a GPS vehicle tracking device, it helps modify their behavior to be more responsible an less likely to commit acts that have serious consequences.

This is not always the case, but even when it is not, data in support of evidence presented is invaluable in substantiating claims made by the teen or others.

Rules enforced. Rules and laws are not made to be broken, or even tested. Most parents have horror stories in their past of times when a nonchalant attitude was taken towards these things with sometimes disastrous results, or at least the realization that things could have gone wrong very quickly. Why put your child in that situation in the first place?

Creating boundaries for verification. When a GPS Tracking system is utilized, you can set a perimeter in which a vehicle is not allowed to traverse over which will set off alerts. The consequences are choices that parents have to make, but this allows control beyond just the data for location, direction of travel and speed provide.

Monitoring progress. Being able to operate in near real time may or may not be deemed as necessary, but it is nice to know that it is available. Constant monitoring has a built-in safety level that helps the end user perform verification and adherence to rules and laws.

It is time to help teens become adults by understanding the reasoning behind boundaries. Encouraging young minds towards positive behavior will go far in aiding their development. GPS Tracking systems gives you the basis that you need in establishing this environment. Good luck.

Parents Track School Buses Online with GPS Tracking

May 12th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

I remember my first day of school. I was excited and eager to head off to school, make new friends, and start learning. My parents took me to school and picked me up. But for some parents, the opportunity to drop off and pick up their children from school just isn’t feasible. Instead, their children ride the bus to school, leaving the parents with a new set of fears. They’re not just worried about how their child with fit in, find friends, and enjoy classes. Now they’re also worried about where their child is during the long bus ride.

school bus fleet buses After a five-year-old child was lost on a school bus for five hours, New York City implemented a plan to put GPS tracking units in its buses. Now parents will be able to find out where their children are while they are riding the bus, giving the parents peace of mind in knowing the location of their children, whether five years old or fifteen years old.

In Wales, another GPS tracking program requires students to swipe a card as they get on a bus. Then parents and officials can track the bus and know exactly who is riding the bus. The long bus rides are safer and the tracking options provide peace of mind for parents, students, school officials, and bus drivers.

A program in California aims for increased safety of its buses, bus drivers, and the students. The GPS system it uses allows the school to track the buses and have automatic updates every 60 seconds. In addition to increasing safety, the tracking system allows the school to streamline its routes for increased efficiency.

With GPS tracking, parents and school officials can know where a bus is and whether or not it will be late. If the bus is hijacked, has an accident, makes an unplanned stop, or deviates from its path, authorities can be alerted almost immediately. Furthermore, if the bus breaks down or is hijacked, the driver can send a silent alert or text message to the police and to the school, and the GPS will let them know where the bus is so that assistance can be sent to the right location.

Parents no longer have to be worried about the safety of their children who ride the bus to school. Instead, they can relax in knowing where the bus – and thus where their child – is. And with GPS tracking, security on school buses ensures that each child is safe and can be easily located.

GPS Vehicle Tracking Device To Aid College Students Riding Buses

April 30th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Several colleges, including Harvard, MIT, and Tufts University, are adding GPS vehicle tracking to their campus shuttles so that students can make better use of their time and still catch the buses to get from one side of campus to another.

Students waiting for the bus

In all of these cases, the buses are supposed to run on some sort of schedule. Yet, students often end up waiting an extended period of time for a bus to arrive for pickup and drop off at another area. Extended wait times often lead to overcrowding on some shuttle buses and not enough passengers to justify the running of others.

If students are able to look at a web site and learn where the shuttle buses are located at any given time, along with the average speed of travel, the students can time their leaving of their dorm rooms to coincide with them arriving at the shuttle stop as or just before the bus arrives. This can provide students with a few extra minutes of study time that they would not have if waiting at a crowded bus stop for the next shuttle.

Transportation problems have been one of the foremost difficulties faced by college students, especially those attending larger universities for many years. In many cases, where a candidate for student government stood on the issue of GPS vehicle tracking to improve the transportation has been the deciding factor that won or lost the election.

Tufts was one of the first to install GPS vehicle tracking device on their campus transportation buses. Other universities are looking at the system they have in place and modeling their own systems based on this one because it has been shown to work. Students are not showing up late for class and blaming it on the shuttle system nearly as often, because anyone can check the location of shuttles and arrange to meet the last one that will ensure timely arrival at the building where the class is located. There are really no excuses for tardiness based on the transportation system at these universities anymore.

Other colleges and universities that operate shuttle buses to carry students from one part of campus to another could do well looking at the models established by these universities for GPS vehicle tracking of these buses. Steady improvements in the transport system can lead to steady improvements in student grades and attendance records throughout the campus.

GPS and College Student Safety

April 21st, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

College represents different things to different people. Some view it as preparation for the job they’ve always wanted. Some see a multitude of networking opportunities waiting as they interact with students and professors. Still others consider college a 4 year party with a few classes thrown in. To most, college represents a measure of freedom that they didn’t have before. Going off to college means cutting apron strings, saying good-bye to the relative safety of home, and beginning the process of shaping the future. But there is a dark side of campus life that many don’t consider or plan for. As many as 25% of college age women say they have been the victims of rape on campus. Seventy-five percent of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. These frightening statistics don’t have to represent the norm, however. Judicious use of GPS trackers can significantly reduce the incidence of rape among college students by providing a trusted friend or family member with the ability to monitor a student’s whereabouts.

Student Safety

GPS trackers operate by sending a signal from a transmitter to a computer which identifies the location of the person or object being tracked. Personal safety devices that utilize GPS tracking weigh as little as 3 ounces and can be easily concealed under clothing. Some models provide a panic button which, when pressed by the user, alerts the person monitoring the signal to check the location.

How will GPS trackers benefit the average student on campus? With the knowledge that help is within the push of a button, students can be more confident in social and dating situations. They need not feel as though each date is a potentially dangerous situation. They can ask a family member or roommate to check in at set times to make sure they are where they planned to be. In the event of actual or attempted rape, victims know that someone knows where they are and help will be there as soon as possible.

Campus life should be an adventure and a new start for students; it should never be a source of fear. GPS trackers give students and their families peace of mind and the freedom to act confidently in a variety of settings. All students deserve safety. GPS can be the next step toward making our college campuses safe places to make friends, pursue an education, and shape a future.

GPS Systems and Geocaching

April 11th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

A treasure hunt . . . to most people, it’s fascinating. Never mind that it’s not officially called a treasure hunt. Now it’s called geocaching. And it’s a little more precise since you’re using a GPS system to find the “treasure.” But the idea’s still the same: somewhere out there is the “treasure” you’re looking for, and now you have to find it.

Rock formation in the California desert found while geocaching

Geography students at a high school in Colorado are using geocaching to have fun and learn geography at the same time. Students use GPS tracking systems to find a box that contains a tracking device and a notebook. Once students find a box, they sign their names and move the tracking device, or “bug,” to a new location for someone else to find. A “bug” can go for miles and years in a geocaching “treasure” hunt. Whether the next finder of a “bug” is next years’ students or a hiking geocaching enthusiast, the “bugs” just keep moving.

High school students aren’t the only ones interested in “treasure” hunting. In Utah, a geocaching “treasure” hunt which takes place on historical sites has gained a lot of popularity. As soon as the geocaching hunt is announced, people begin making plans to come, bringing their GPS locator so that they can find the planted “bugs.” The hunt itself is reward enough for most people, but it is also a family activity, so even if the hunters don’t find anything, they get to spend a fun day with their family “treasure” hunting.

GPS tracking systems can be used for a fun activity which can involve the whole family. Young children, teenagers, adults, and grandparents can all participate and enjoy the excitement of “treasure” hunting. It’s a safe and fun activity which can also be very educational by teaching people how to use navigational skills.

Geocaching can also be a great activity with friends or can be a way to make new friends. For instance, some of the students from the high school in Colorado are planning to plant a couple of “bugs” when they make a school trip to Italy and Greece. The progress of the “bugs” can be followed on a website, where each new finder will tell where the “bug” was found and where to look for its new location.

Whether you’re looking for a fun activity for the family or a new hobby to do by yourself, you should consider geocaching. All you need is a GPS locator, something to hunt, and a desire to find your “treasure.”

Why I Insisted on GPS Tracking

April 9th, 2009

By Lyle Goldstein

I remember the day I decided to get a car with GPS tracking. It was a Monday, two years ago. I was on the phone at work when I happened to glance out my office window. I guess I unconsciously looked for my own car. I spotted it just as the call ended. As I was hanging up I noticed a sizable dent in the passenger door. My first reaction was that somebody had hit me after I had parked, but as soon as that thought occurred to me I discounted it because I had parked at the end of a row. That put the passenger door right next to a chain link fence, where it couldn’t have been hit.

I knew the dent hadn’t happened while I’d been driving, and I was the only one who drove the car – my wife has her own. If I had GPS tracking, I wondered, would I be able to check my travel history and find out when the car was used without my knowledge? I thought back to the night before. I’d gone to bed after the 11 o’clock news. The only person still up was my 15 year old son, Bobby.

father-and-son That was when I knew Bobby had taken my car out for a joyride. I confronted him that night and he swore up and down that he hadn’t. I wanted to believe him, but it seemed to fit. Like all 15 year olds, Bobby had been pushing the limits of his parent’s tolerance – staying out later and later until we had to impose a curfew. His last report card hadn’t been great, either, come to think of it.

It is a terrible moment when you realize your child is lying and there is nothing you can do about it. GPS tracking would have eliminated his plausible deniability. I talked with my wife. We were worried by our son’s behavior. Kids today live in a culture that contains so many temptations; so many threats. I’d been looking at buying a new car and we had discussed the GPS option.

That night we decided a GPS device was something we needed – for the sake of our son. We bought the new car, and we mentioned anything about device. The next time Bobby went joyriding, we knew where he’d gone – a seedy neighborhood known for drug usage and then to a friend’s. Today Bobby’s back on track, thanks to GPS tracking.