Rocky Mountain Tracking

By James Neely

In philosophical and theological circles there is a debate concerning the makeup of the human heart and its intentions. Is it inherently good or evil? What drives human behavior to do the things that it does?

While this discussion will wage on and on endlessly, the practical application is that there needs to be some direction and overall force towards doing good. It does not appear that ‘good’ happens automatically. Otherwise we would have no use for inventions such as GPS Tracking systems.

An incredible leap in logic? Maybe, but the facts do not lie. Look at the myriad of news stories that bombard us daily about the actions that bespeak of the intentions of those who are bent on taking what is not theirs to use for their own pleasure.

The bottom line. GPS tracking devices provide ways to keep track of personal property with incredible detail and precision so that in the event of a theft, an item can be tracked to within a few feet of its actual location.

Protect what is yours. You do not have to be in business in order to take advantage of GPS tracking devices in protecting what is yours. In fact, the good thing about these devices is that they are small enough and yet accurate in their details Whether you are attempting to protect a car, boat, or other motorized vehicle, the GPS Tracker is what you need to accomplish that task.

Monitor compliance. Want to make sure everything is being done to perfection with regard to contractual obligations? Then a GPS Tracking system is no longer an option. For businesses that depend upon verification for performance, a system will deliver that and more.

Verify Actions. Was the deliver made when it was supposed to have been made? Can you verify this beyond the shadow of a doubt? Little things become big things so, it is important to adopt this philosophy.

Create business success. This might seem like an odd point to make at the end of this discussion, but it works because if one is able to get a handle on the above in the application to business, then there is a higher opportunity of success based on the fact that one of the obstacles to making money can often be the employees of a given business. Now you can use technology at your disposal to help insure that profitability remains strong because you have ways to protect your business. A GPS tracker gives you that control.

By Greg Bartlett

With the coming of summer, people will soon be out in droves to enjoy the sun and participate in outdoor sports and recreation. Many will plan long afternoons and evenings out on the lake or in the harbor in recreational watercrafts.

While a large percentage of the population thinks about the possibility of auto theft and takes precautions to prevent it, relatively few people ever consider the possibility of their boats being stolen. A casual stroll through your local marina may reveal unattended boats with no locks, keys left in the ignition, or even boats left idling while the owner has run into the clubhouse for a moment. While these are common sense no-no’s, they do serve as a reminder that we all can be more alert to the possibility of theft. One step that boat owners should consider taking is purchasing a GPS tracker to help prevent theft and to aid in recovery if a boat is stolen.

GPS trackers use satellite technology to send signals from a transmitter to your computer. The transmitter is small enough to be easily concealable, so thieves won’t even know they’re being watched. You can monitor the boat’s location in real time, checking in at any moment to validate the whereabouts of your vehicle or you can view daily reports detailing the boat’s activity including location, stops and mileage.

Insurance companies estimate that as many as 27,000 watercraft vehicles are stolen each year and the odds are ten to one that any given boat will be recovered. Even if you keep your boat at your home instead of in a marina, it is still not safe from theft—over half of stolen boats are not in the water when they are stolen. The thief simply hooks your trailer up to his truck and is in the next county before you realize what happened. Installing a GPS tracker can greatly improve the odds of recovering your stolen boat, however, and it may also reduce your insurance premiums.

Theft is a particularly painful crime, since people tend to feel that a part of their identity has been compromised. A GPS tracker can put you in control of your assets and give you the upper hand over any criminal. At the end of boating season, when you’re ready to put away the keys till next year, you’ll be at ease knowing that you’ve done everything you can to protect what is yours.

By James Neely

From Sacramento, California comes a story of two men who allegedly stole the bicycles that belonged to the team of seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. This underscores the importance of obtaining and installing GPS tracking systems for professional sports organizations.

Whether it is a baseball, football, auto racing or other outdoor sports organizations, keeping track of your assets is mandatory for making sure that you do not incur a loss. This can be done with the addition of a GPS Tracking system added to your equipment.

For baseball and football operations, you can track the equipment that is used in maintaining your fields. Auto racing is held on far larger venues and makes the use of one of these systems even more important. Golf courses can keep track of any and all equipment such as course maintenance equipment and even golf carts, too.

Especially appropriate are sports operations that move large amounts of equipment from venue to venue.

Recover by Tracking. Once properly installed, your assets are instantly traceable should they ever become stolen. Location information can be passed to police agencies within minutes from which they can affect recovery. Preventing the process from taking longer helps you be able to keep your operations running smoothly. Since perpetrators of these crimes do not hold on to the property for long, a GPS Tracking system helps insure that you get your items back as soon as possible.

Technology that is always on. One of the best reasons to choose one of these systems is that should a unit become disconnected from a battery, a signal is still emitted which will help in recovery efforts. Also aiding in the effort for recovery is that a well-hidden unit will help in the capture of the thieves because they will not find it as readily.

Cost effective and mandatory? Before long, it might be a requirement by insurance companies to add these units in order to help minimize their risk. But voluntary installation and use should produce lower premiums as well.

Major and minor sports operations can protect their equipment during the season and off-season and be assured that their equipment is always where they placed it. It is an added way to help keep their expenses low and profits high.

You, too, should consider adding a GPS tracking unit to you business. It is very affordable and will bring you added security and peace of mind.

By Greg Bartlett

What item is valuable and easy to pilfer that would leave most college students and business people devastated? The answer is simple: their laptop.

College students depend on their laptops for everything. They keep in contact with others through social networking sites and email. They use the internet for research, and spend many hours writing papers and working on their projects. If their laptops were stolen, most college students would lose the entire semester’s worth of work and have to start over on all their projects. So why would they leave their most important possession unguarded?

Laptop theft can also be a problem in the workplace. Whether the laptops were handed out by the companies themselves or they belong to the workers, much would be lost if they went missing. It’s very simple to walk past an empty desk, quickly unplug a laptop, and walk off with it. So what can prevent this kind of thing from happening? How can you get your laptop back if it is stolen?

Laptop tracking can be fairly simple using a GPS tracker. If someone were to steal your laptop, you would be able to pinpoint the exact location of the laptop as soon as you discovered that it was missing. Just the knowledge that the company’s laptops were equipped with a GPS tracker would deter theft, because the would-be thief would understand just how easily he or she could be caught.

In college dorms, people come and go so much that it would be easy for someone to learn the schedules and routine habits of those around him. All a thief needs to know is that you always go to the Friday night basketball game and that your roommate likes to spend nights studying in the library. All of a sudden, your laptop is missing and you have thousands of suspects. But you remember the GPS tracker that you bought and you instantly locate and reclaim your laptop.

Tracking down something that is stolen has always been a very difficult thing to do, but with a GPS tracker it is very simple to find what has been lost. Protect your laptop and all the valuable information that you have stored on it by taking advantage of current technology that makes your belongings secure.

By James Neely

GPS Tracking systems have a wide variety of uses and applications. One that is worth spending some time on is the category of motorcycles. These modes of transportation are not immune from theft and malicious use. In fact, as the economy tightens, there are opportunists who look upon motorcycles as an easier target for theft than are cars and trucks. For this reason, you should consider a GPS tracking system for your motorcycle or other outdoor motorized item.

First, some facts are in order to substantiate the need for these systems. The top five makes of stolen motorcycles are Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Harley-Davidson. The states with the most motorcycle theft activity are California, Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Indiana.

The national recovery rate for stolen vehicles has fallen below 60 percent for the first time in ten years. This means a greater chance that you will not get your motorcycle back.

With the cost of these motorcycles at or above $20,000, it is incumbent upon owners to take precautionary measures to help prevent becoming a victim of theft. That is where GPS Tracking systems fit into the landscape.

With GPS offerings you will find these two options:

Real-time Tracking. This type of tracking is the most comprehensive and detailed that you will find. You can track from a PC the speed, distance, location and direction of travel. For a family member who has an interest in your travels, this can be the best option. Think of the measure of safety that this option affords as well.

Demand-only Tracking. If you do not need the level of detail provided above, then consider the demand-only option as a way to track the location of your motorcycle only as need requires. In the unfortunate event of a theft, location information can be supplied to the authorities who can follow up for recovery purposes.

Insurance savings. Insurance companies appreciate the extra attention to lowering their risk with these systems so often you will find a reduction in your premiums as an added benefit.

Motorcycle club benefits. If you are part of a motorcycle club which travels together, then a GPS Tracking system is perfect for the lead bike. This will allow you to track your progress by a team member from a home location. It is a great way to update a web page which might be following your trek.

Peace of mind. The last thing you want to be concerned about is theft of your motorcycle. That is especially true if you are travelling in unfamiliar country. A GPS Tracking system provides you with a little peace of mind because you have other more important things on your mind, like safety and enjoyment of your trip. Get one today, you will be glad you did.

By Greg Bartlett

So, you can’t afford the car you want, and you figure the best way around your lack of financing is to steal the car. That’s not really the wisest choice, but if you insist upon stealing a car, take a word of advice. Don’t steal one with a GPS car tracking system unless you have an urge to spend some time in prison.

A GPS tracker can give the police, the car company, and the owner the precise location of the car at any time, whether because the owner wants to know where his teenage daughter is, the lender needs to repossess the car when the owner stops making payments, or the police need to impound the vehicle because the owner drove it while under the influence or under a suspended license. Or there could be a host of other reasons for tracking the car, including finding out where you took it when you stole it.

Car thieves in Florida recently learned this the hard way. After stealing cash and a TV, they appropriated a BMW convertible. Unfortunately for them, the car had a GPS tracking system installed. So when the owner realized the car had been stolen, BMW determined the location of the car and notified police, who promptly engaged in a chase which eventually ended in the capture of the car thieves.

Most people who steal cars attempt to avoid police and don’t want to authorities where they are. It usually helps them to maintain their freedom and ability to make choices about where they’ll live, what they’ll eat, and what they’ll wear, which they won’t have if they’re captured and sent to prison for auto theft. But apparently these car thieves really didn’t care. Perhaps they just stole the car so they could participate in a police chase before being sent to prison.

Police also use GPS car tracking in bait cars, where they wait until someone – like you – steals the vehicle before flipping the “kill switch.” The car’s engine then shuts down, the doors lock and won’t open (keeping you inside), and the horn honks loudly until police officers show up. Another excellent vehicle to steal if you’re looking for a quick trip to prison.

So consider before you steal a car. You may want to look for one without a GPS tracker. It will probably save you from heading straight to prison.

By Greg Bartlett

Insurance companies issue policies that reimburse the insured for lost or stolen items. Everyone knows that as a fact. If the insured has full coverage on their vehicle, the coverage includes fire and theft. In a time that every dollar in the family budget counts, how can the insurance premium be reduced? The answer is to install a GPS tracking device in the vehicle. This device will result in lowered insurance premiums.

Insurance companies determine the rates that they charge by the type of vehicle and the location of the vehicle. Some areas have a higher incidence of auto theft than others. Additionally some makes and models of vehicles are more “attractive” to auto theft. The insurance company will provide a lower insurance premium to the customer if they have some assurance that the vehicle will be recovered should it be stolen.

Surprisingly, newer vehicles do not appear on most of the “most stolen lists.” In 2005, only one vehicle made after 2000 made the national top ten lists. The other nine were all made 8 or more years prior to 2005. Owning an “older” vehicle is no guarantee that the vehicle will not be stolen.

Where do these older vehicles go? There are generally three options that a car thief has when stealing an older vehicle. The vehicle is either simply taken for a joy ride or dumped into a lake, river or a deserted area after the joy ride. The vehicle may wind up in a chop shop to be dismantled for the component parts. In many cases the parts that go into the vehicle are far more valuable than the vehicle itself. In the last case, the vehicle can be driven over the border to Canada or Mexico. Another possibility is the vehicle is driven to a coastal port city, loaded into a container and shipped overseas. In any of these three cases, the vehicle is sold overseas at a cost that is far lower than a legitimate vehicle can be acquired for.

A GPS tracking device, once installed on the vehicle can provide authorities the exact location of the vehicle. Once the owner realizes that the vehicle has been stolen, the location of the vehicle can be determined and the proper local authorities can be notified for recovery and subsequent prosecution of the thieves.

This in itself becomes a win - win situation for both the owner of the vehicle and the insurance company. The owner of the vehicle recovers the car and the insurance company does not have to pay a claim for the theft of the vehicle. Due to the fact that the GPS tracking system was installed on the vehicle, a lower insurance premium could be provided to the owner. This lower insurance premium reflects the lower risk should the vehicle be stolen. GPS tracking can definitely save money on insurance premiums.

By Shannon Henry

For my brother’s 19th birthday our parents bought him a new car. Due to a history of some poor decision making on his part, they also installed a GPS tracking device without his knowledge. They were worried that, now that he had more freedom, he might slip up and begin hanging out with the wrong crowd again. He assured us that this wouldn’t happen, but parents tend to worry. As you will see, it is a good thing that they do.

A few weeks after his birthday, my brother asked if I would like to go to the mall and help him pick out a present for his long-time girlfriend. I had nothing to do, so I decided to come along as an excuse to get out of the house. Really, the mall is close enough to walk to, but he had a new car and wanted to drive.

We got to the mall and proceeded to go to the jewelry store. My brother picked out a simply gorgeous white gold necklace for his girlfriend. Nice choice!

We headed back to the car and got in. He noticed that the back windshield was covered with a piece of paper and went to get rid of it. Things happened very quickly then. With my brother at the back of the car, a masked gun man hoped into the open driver’s side door. I was told to get out, which I did. The man then sped off in my brother’s car.

My brother didn’t realize what was happening at first, I think he thought I was playing a prank on him until he saw me shakily leaning against a nearby car. He then called 911 and gave them a description of what had happened. While he was doing that, I came to my sense and called our dad. I told dad that we were at the mall and the car had just been stolen. He then told me that the car had a GPS tracking device and gave me the password for my brother to relay to the dispatch center.

Our dad came and got us to take us home. My brother was mad to find out that they hadn’t trusted him, but what really upset him was that the necklace had been in the car when it was stolen. He was more worried about that than the car.

I can’t say I really understand exactly how a GPS car tracker device works, but it must be fantastic. We weren’t home more than two hours when we got a call that our car had been found. The thief was caught as he filled up at a gas station. And best of all for my brother, the necklace was still in the car. Everything ended very well, and we were lucky to have the GPS tracking device in the car.

By Harriette Halepis

Do you know that most thefts occur within affluent neighbourhoods? For some reason, most of us are under the impression that home invasion only happens in poverty stricken areas. The truth is that thieves would much rather target those people that are likely to have lots of valuables. This is precisely why nicer neighbourhoods have a higher rate of home invasion thefts. Even those people that live inside of a gated community that includes private security guards are often the targets of thieves. Do you think that a thief cannot possibly break into your community or home? Think again – thieves are far more intelligent than you may give them credit for.

You can try and protect your home with security alarms, cameras, and large dogs, but even these homes fall prey to theft now and again. What can you do to protect your home from thieves? Well, there are lots of tactics that might cause a thief to skip over your house when looking for a target. Here are some helpful tips:

• Leave the Lights On: If you intend to leave for vacation, make sure that some lights are always on inside of your home. However, don’t leave your lights hooked up to a timer – many thieves will recognize a home that is lighted at the same time every night.
• Don’t Draw Attention: So, you just bought the world’s largest television and you redid your kitchen – close your curtains! Far too often, people leave their curtains open for all the world to see inside of a house…bad idea.
• Be Careful What You Throw Away: Did you just purchase the best sound system that money can buy? Leaving a marked box on the curb for the garbage man is not a great plan – thieves take careful note of those garbage piles.

While these tips will certainly help your home to remain safe, they aren’t fool-proof. If you happen to have a lot of valuables inside of your home, think about adding a GPS tracking device to those things that mean the most to you. For example, placing a tracker on a valuable painting (inside of the frame is best) is a wise move. Likewise, adding trackers to any items that are irreplaceable might also be a good game plan. You can’t really prevent a thief from breaking into your house, but you can track and trace any stolen valuables with the help of a GPS tracker.

By Greg Bartlett

In the past, car theft was a very profitable business for a lot of people. A car could be taken and hid in a warehouse or garage until it could be stripped of any useful parts then sold as junk iron. Some were shipped overseas and sold whole. The commercial availability of GPS tracking technology has changed this forever.

GPS tracking devices come in a variety of sizes from about the size of a quarter to the size of a pack of cigarettes. They are easy to hide in vehicles in places that are difficult to reach or very unlikely to be searched by thieves who are in hurry to make a clean getaway with the stolen vehicle. Once the theft is noticed, the device can be activated and the location of the vehicle determined very quickly using a computer with an internet connection set up to receive the signal from the GPS vehicle recovery device. Some devices can be programmed to send out an alarm to the computer in the event of unauthorized movement so the theft is noticed immediately.

Once the theft is noticed and the signal obtained, it is possible to notify the police and give them the location of the vehicle. If it is moving, the police can be given the information needed to track the signal using the internet connected computers that are a part of nearly all police cruisers today. This makes it possible for the police to follow the vehicle to its destination in hopes of busting a ring of car thieves or making a traffic stop and arresting the driver of the vehicle at their discretion. Generally, it is preferred to let the thief get where he is going if he is not speeding excessively or acting as if he is joyriding. This reduces the chance that a thief will attempt to flee and wind up wrecking the car or endangering other people with a lot of reckless driving.

A log of the GPS data that tracks the movements of the vehicle and the speeds at which it is traveling is admissible as evidence in court that can be used to prove that the defendant had the vehicle in his possession for a certain amount of time and drove it from where it was stolen to where it was recovered. These GPS logs are leading to many more convictions. The presence of GPS locator devices in vehicles has more than doubled the number of stolen vehicles recovered undamaged compared to those without GPS.