Rocky Mountain Tracking

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GPS Tracking Leads to Capture of Car Thief

March 30th, 2009

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.

AutoTheft 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.

Protecting Your Valuables

March 19th, 2009

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.

Vehicle Recovery Rate More Than Doubles with GPS Tracking

February 27th, 2009

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.

Auto Recovery 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.

Benefits of GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems

February 26th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Satellite Tracking Image Since the 1990s when GPS tracking technology first became available to the general public, people have found more ways that GPS tracking can be used every year. One of the most common uses of GPS technology is to incorporate it into GPS vehicle tracking systems. There are several different benefits of such systems.

1. GPS vehicle tracking systems provide an accurate location and speed check on vehicles being driven by employees of a company. These can also be used to track the amount of time employees spend at one location in the event that a customer complains that he is being billed for more time than was actually spent on the job.

These systems are also very useful to company dispatchers who can locate each mobile unit and route the nearest one to any calls that come in, whether for service calls or pick up of packages.

2. A second use of GPS vehicle tracking systems is providing an accurate location of the vehicle to police in the event of car theft. The signal from such systems can be received by any police cruiser with an internet connected computer on board, which is almost all these days. Police can follow the movements of the vehicle and arrest the thief in short order, often catching others at the same time if this is a professional chop shop operation. Recovery of the vehicle in an unharmed state occurs far more frequently when GPS vehicle recovery systems are involved.

3. GPS vehicle tracking systems are also very useful for parents of inexperienced teen drivers. These systems allow the parents to monitor the movements and whereabouts of their teens when away from home in the family car. They have proven useful in reducing accidents and moving violations because the parents can track speed data and call the teen with instructions to slow down before the police get involved or an accident occurs.

4. Finally, GPS vehicle tracking systems make it possible for a spouse who suspects that his/her mate is cheating to follow the movements of the vehicle and catch them in the act if the suspicions are founded. Spouses who prefer not to make a direct confrontation can provide information on the signal from the GPS device to a private investigator who can obtain any evidence of infidelity and turn it over for use in a divorce proceeding.

GPS vehicle tracking systems have proven very useful for a variety of commercial and personal applications when knowledge of where a vehicle is and how fast it is moving is necessary.

How GPS Saved My Job

February 24th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

I do a lot of work outside of the office that requires me to carry a company laptop with me. I was sitting outside a cafe, checking my emails and waiting on a client to show up one day. That’s when it happened, some punk came running up and grabbed the computer out from under me. I didn’t even react, and by the time I thought I had the hoodlum, he had disappeared down an alley.

There I was sitting at a cafe and not only had I lost the companies laptop, but it was logged in at the time. I deal with a lot of sensitive financial concerns for my clients, so I knew this was a huge problem for me and the company.

I called the office and told them what had happened. The receptionist put me through to HR and my identity was confirmed, the girl on the other hand told me to call the police and not to worry. I followed her instructions, but I didn’t understand how she could be so calm. I figured that she wasn’t worried because it wasn’t her on the chopping block.

The police arrived just after my client, so she got to sit through the interview. I gave the officer a brief description of the thief; I really hadn’t seen him and described the computer. I explained how important the information on the computer was and how desperate I was to find it. The officer said that they would look into it, but that this type of theft usually goes unsolved.

After the officer left, I apologized to my client and tried to carry through with the meeting. We were able to use her computer to access the funds that she was interested in investing in, but it just left a very bad impression (in my estimation) of my firm’s professionalism.

I returned to the office and expected my boss to be furious with me. He pulled me into the office and gave me a lecture about being careful with company assets and how I need to show better judgment in the future. I could tell that his heart wasn’t in it though; I thought maybe he was going easy because of how badly I was feeling. But then he told me why the company wasn’t TOO concerned about the theft. It seems that for the past few years, every computer that they own has been outfitted with a cell phone gps locator. The tracking company had already contacted my boss and reported the location to the police.

By the end of the day, I had my laptop back. It had been recovered from a pawn shop a few blocks away from my cafe. Not only had we gotten back our computer, but the thief had had to use his driver’s license to sell the computer so the police were already staking out his house. The next day, I received a call from the officer who had taken my report and discovered that the police had caught the jerk and confiscated several thousand dollars of stolen property from his home.

The morale of this story, tracking GPS electronics will protect you. For the minimal fees associated with monitoring these devices you are buying peace of mind for your company and employees.

Property Thefts Down Thanks to GPS Tracking

February 23rd, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Thieves everywhere are stopping to think twice about taking certain items these days. Where a car was stolen once every 30 seconds a few years back, the rate is dropping to near one every 45 seconds. This may not seem like a drastic change, but over the period of a year, that adds up to thousands of vehicles that were passed over by thieves because they knew or suspected the vehicle was protected by a GPS tracking device.

Heavy construction equipment used to be a popular item for thieves as well. Today, thefts of equipment are down also. Again, the reason is they are afraid the equipment may be equipped with a tracking device.

GPS tracking technology has enable vehicle and equipment owners to report thefts as soon as they are noticed and track the gps location of the stolen property using just a computer with an internet connection. This tracking signal can be turned over to police, who can use the computer in their car to track the property to its location and make at least a recovery of the stolen property. At best, the thief or thieves are caught with the property in their possession and brought to justice. The tracking records of the device can even be admitted in court as evidence against them.

Knowing these facts has caused many thieves to rethink their targets and go after vehicles less likely to be equipped with GPS. Even so, they occasionally get one that is tracked anyway. Insurance companies are also aware of these statistics. They tend to save a great deal of many that does not have to be paid out in claims over stolen vehicles and equipment because these items are recovered quickly, often before any serious damage could be done. They also know that a higher percentage of thieves are being taken off the street as a result of GPS tracking of stolen property. For this reason, many insurers will grant a reduction in premiums if the owner of the vehicle or piece of equipment installs a tracking device.

GPS anti theft devices have changed the face of the world in many ways. In addition to helping people find their way from point A to point B, GPS is able to track the movements and location of stolen vehicles and equipment that are equipped with a tracking device. The result is fewer thefts overall and more arrests made when thieves do takes something so equipped.

GPS Tracking – The Ultimate Sleuth

February 20th, 2009

By Harriette Halepis

Hundreds of cars are stolen every day across the nation. Many of these cars are parked outside of affluent homes, and most of these cars are permanently parked in upscale neighbourhoods. In short, the home that you live in and the neighbourhood that you call home don’t make any different to car thieves.

Of course, there are ways to prevent car theft. Numerous methods exist that will effectively protect your car from theft, though most of these methods also cost hundreds of dollars. Then again, some anti-theft measures (such as car alarms) are little more than expensive noise makers.

Most people don’t think that dealing with a stolen car is much of a hassle. If you think that finding a stolen car is easy, think again. Not only will you have to deal with police reports, you will also have to explain your case to your insurance company. Add all of this to the fact that most stolen cars are never retrieved, and you have a serious headache.

So, how can you prevent your car from being stolen? Well, you can’t. Once a thief has targeted your car, there is very little that you can do about it. However, you can equip your car with a GPS tracking system that will help police to track down your car in no time. When it comes to this type of GPS tracking device, there are two possible installation options.

You can opt to install a tracking system that is clearly visible, or you can install one that is virtually undetectable – both types have their benefits. If a thief can easily see a GPS car tracker, they are likely to do one of two things: avoid stealing your car or simply dismantle the system altogether.

If you place a hidden tracking device in your car, a thief will not be able to dislodge this device unless they find it. If the device remains with your car, then the police won’t have any trouble tracking down the precise location of your vehicle. Which GPS tracking device is the better option?

This decision is generally up to you, though some people choose to install both kinds of trackers. This way, thieves will immediately be turned away from your car if they see the device, and police will be able to find your car if the device is destroyed. No matter what kind of GPS tracker you install, you can bet that your car will be safer with the ultimate car theft detection system – a GPS vehicle recovery system.

To Catch A Phone Thief

February 17th, 2009

Protect your phone using GPS
By Jackie Gately

Cell Phone Tracking When your cell phone goes missing, it’s easy to panic. Your lifeline to social and professional communications—contact lists, photos, ring tones, text messages, voice, email and web access—are all lost in an instant.

If you retrace your steps and rethink your interactions, you may be lucky: perhaps the phone has fallen by the nightstand or waits at a checkout counter. Other times, though, recovery is not so simple.

One woman was dismayed when she called her new iPhone to learn that it had been stolen. The thief had the audacity to answer; but he wasn’t giving it back. Her options to catch the thief and retrieve her cell phone were limited. She could:

Call the phone repeatedly throughout the day to locate it by sound
Leave messages for the thief, assuming he can access them
Text message the thief with a reward sum for the phone’s return
Deactivate the phone; have the phone company call on reactivation attempts
Look for surveillance cameras in the crime area for clues
Obtain phone records of calls made or received since the theft; make contact to determine the thief’s identity
File a theft report to retrieve the phone and get phone company cooperation

A quicker and easier route to recovery would have been using GPS technology. All cell phones manufactured after 2005 require GPS capability to support Enhanced 911 (E911), which allows a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to pinpoint your exact location within a few meters.

However, just because your cell phone has GPS capability doesn’t mean it can be easily located — unless you had the foresight to sign-up for web-based mobile phone tracking software, such as NavIQ Mobile.

Web-based tracking software, like NavIQ Mobile, allows you to track a mobile device using animated pans, 3D perspective zooms, and fly-over routing. It provides live and historical data, including location, to help you locate your equipment or work with authorities to intercept it if stolen.

It requires only a quick software installation to your existing Blackberry or Windows-based phone. There is no need for additional hardware.

Whether you’re tired of searching for an often misplaced phone or want to preempt a potential thief, web-based phone tracking software may provide the solution you need. It offers peace of mind that your prized possession is never more than a few clicks away.

Jackie Gately is a freelance writer. She can be reached at jackiegately.wordpress.com or located by GPS.

What Would You Do without GPS in the Big Apple?

February 1st, 2009

By Chris O’Toole

As a student at The King’s College, I couldn’t be happier. I mean my classes are in the Empire State Building, I never have to drive a car, there is a Starbucks on every corner, my apartment has a terrace that overlooks all of New York City, and I meet thousands of different people every day.

My one complaint? Well, it would have to be the mugging. However, now I realize that GPS has my back. The World’s Finest began the utilization of GPS into their daily routine. I witnessed this firsthand while I was walking back from a late class and, as usual, I was petrified of being jumped at any moment.

Mugging On this brisk evening with a full moon overhead, my fears were confirmed. He lurched at me moments after I had crossed the street. As he donned fully black attire, he never registered within my perception. I gladly gave up all of my possessions in exchange for my health and I believed that would be the last time I saw my belongings.

However, unbeknownst to me or the robber, a police officer saw him. Instead of alerting the thief, the officer phoned in and told dispatch where the perpetrator was heading. Satellite positioning soon picked up on his location and watched him.

The mugger thought it was his lucky day and that he had just run away undetected with a fortune. That smile fell from his face when the cops searched his building and kicked in his door. No violence, no gunfire, no screaming, no mess. The best part was that I received all of my belongings back without any physical injury or risk to myself or others. With a GPS personal tracking device, I can enjoy the city during the day and night. In addition, I don’t have to make my problem the city’s problem.

Choosing the right vehicle tracking system for Vehicle theft prevention

January 28th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

As many people are now aware, many vehicles leave the factory with GPS vehicle tracking devices installed in them. What most are not aware of is that certain types of devices may be worthless for aiding in the recovery of a stolen vehicle. All GM vehicles are now equipped with Onstar™ onboard. This is a subscription service that incorporates tracking to assist in emergency situations, such as following an accident. While the value of such a service cannot be overestimated, it may not be the right method to use for tracking a vehicle that has been stolen.

Private subscription services like Onstar™ are bound by very strict privacy policies. The number of steps they are required to take to ensure that no private information is released to anyone other than the vehicles owner or duly appointed police officers makes getting access to tracking information from these services in the event of a car theft take such a period of time as to make it too late to do any good by the time the authorities are able to locate and reach the vehicle.

It is not our purpose to dissuade people from using services like Onstar™. In fact we recommend their services because of the ability to notify emergency personnel in the event of an accident. These services do save lives. However, we also recommend the addition of another type of GPS vehicle tracking device that can be tracked from any computer by the person who owns the car so that it can be located quickly and efficiently in the event of a theft.

Several different types of tracking devices are available that can be installed in a secret location on the vehicle that car thieves are not likely to locate and disable. The owner of the device has the power to activate at will and track the signal via computer with an internet connection. This signal can be provided to police officers who are equipped to track the signal using onboard computers in their cars. The amount of time it takes to relay the necessary information to proper authorities is reduced to a minimum that increases the chance of making a safe vehicle recovery and an arrest of the car thief.

Another common service that people are familiar with is LoJack™. This service has been established for quite some time now, but many customers have no idea that LoJack™ is radio based and not GPS. When a vehicle so equipped is reported stolen, the customer must contact the police or service provider and report the vehicle stolen. The radio frequency used by LoJack™ can only be picked by very specialized equipment that is not available in all police vehicles. Of the ones that can receive this signal, many are often in the midst of more pressing calls than a stolen vehicle report, therefore, they do not respond as quickly as they might, and in some cases, not at all.

GPS tracking technology using a signal that can be tracked using an internet connected computer makes it possible for any police cruiser to locate a stolen vehicle and track its location within minutes of the theft. This can improve the odds that a police officer with the proper equipment will be available to work on the stolen vehicle immediately, increasing the chance of recovering the vehicle in a timely fashion and making an arrest. For these reasons, privately owned aftermarket GPS vehicle tracking systems are superior to some of the more highly publicized services such as Onstar™ and LoJack™ for tracking and recovering stolen vehicles.