GPS Tracking

Proposed Bill Call for Offenders to be Tracked

A Senate committee in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, approved new legislation on Tuesday that would give judges the discretion to mandate GPS tracking devices for certain defendants while they are out on bail. Craig Webre, Sheriff of Lafourche Parish (Louisiana), requested the filing of the bill and asked the Senate Committee on Judiciary to advance the proposal.

Webre also informed the committee that he owns a portion of the company that sells the GPS tracking devices that he is proposing to use for the bill.

In 2002, the Louisiana Board of Ethics issued an opinion stating that Webre would be allowed to sell ignition interlock devices, which are often used to prohibit drunk-drivers from starting their cars, on the condition that he not do business in Lafourche Parish. Webre said he’s following the same guidelines with the GPS tracking systems.

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A Violent Altercation

Minnesota Vikings running back Caleb King (24) was arrested and jailed in Anoka County (Minnesota) on Friday evening. He was accused of third degree assault for beating a man in an early morning fight at a house party, where both men were invited to attend. According to the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, King has not yet been formally charged, as a decision is pending from the Anoka County Attorney’s Office early next week.

The victim, a 22-year old man from Coon Rapids, Minn, has been hospitalized in serious condition with skull and facial fractures. The cuts on his face required 50 stitches to close. Sheriff’s Commander, Paul Sommer said that the victim, “may have a very serious brain injury.”

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The Not So Fast and Furious

Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles were able to recover a missing 2010 black Ferrari belonging to local exotic car rental business. What seemed on the surface to be a simple car theft case, may actually turn out to be an elaborate car smuggling operation.

Eric Blumberg, the owner of an exotic car rental business, Rent-In-Style, noticed something was wrong after renting out the Ferrari to what seemed to be a legitimate customer. The going rate for renting that particular black Ferrari was $2,000 a day.

“In the cars we have a few different tracking systems in place,” Blumberg said. “I found that this car wasn’t moving for a few days so that’s rare because of the costs per day.” Usually, people rent exotic cars for special occasions with the intention of driving it as much as possible. However, in this case, the car had not moved for a period of a few days – that’s $2,000 down the drain each day.

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Thieves Beware of Taking the Bait

It seems that high-tech “Bait cars” are being used more and more by various police departments around the country. Bait cars, which are also called decoy cars, are outfitted with GPS tracking devices, covert audio and video surveillance equipment and some can be remotely controlled to shut off with a push of a button.

These bait cars are often placed in parking lots and residential neighborhoods with high vehicle theft rates, and are used by law enforcement officials to catch car thieves. In Texas, police turned to the public to aid them in apprehending a couple who took a bait car equipped with a hidden camera for a spin [link to the video].

Most recently, police officers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, caught a group of teenagers who decided to swipe a car and take it out for a 20-minute joyride.

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Father and Son Duo Tracked with GPS Device

Law enforcement officials apprehended a father and a son on Tuesday after the two led authorities on a chase in a stolen truck through southern Palm Beach County, Florida.

According to jail records, Justin Lawrence Heffernan Sr., 36, is currently being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bond. His son, Justin Lawrence Heffernan Jr., 19, was admitted to the Delray Medical Center and is being treated for a possible gunshot wound. There has been no immediate information on his condition.

Both father and son are facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, kidnapping, reckless driving, grand theft, fleeing and eluding a police officer, and leaving the scene of an accident.

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The Campaigning Season is in Full Swing

The election campaigning season is in full-swing. In just a few month, our nation will be voting for the next President of the United States. There have already been a slew of ballots, which have been submitted for State Representatives, Senators and other local officials, and some are still actively campaigning for spots.

Campaign signs and banners litter local streets, residential lawns, local coffee shops, print publications and large billboards. Campaign media ads are starting to pop-up on T.V. as well.

In Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) hundreds of political campaign signs went missing. It’s not uncommon for campaign signs to be taken down here and there, however, one politician found that hundreds of his signs were starting to disappear. And so he decided to attach GPS devices on his signs in order to track down the culprit.

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George Zimmerman will be Monitored 24/7

George Zimmerman was released on bond early Monday morning from a Florida jail, wearing a brown jacket and carrying some personal items in a paper bag. Upon his release, Zimmerman was ordered to wear a GPS tracking device in order for authorities to identify his precise whereabouts while waiting for his trial date.

The highly sensitive GPS tracking device will be able to pinpoint Zimmerman’s real-time location and will be able to alert authorities via text message or email if he drifts even a few feet away from where he is allowed.

Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the controversial and highly publicized killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, went into hiding Monday as soon as he was released from prison – most likely outside of the state of Florida due to threats he’s received since the incident. He was released on $150,000 bond, of which he paid the customary 10 percent. He is also required to pay an $8-a-day fee to use the device, which is generally used to track people charged in domestic violence cases.

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Thugs and Pubs Don’t Mix

Violent thugs and drunks residing in Melbourne, Australia could soon be forced to wear GPS tracking devices to ensure they stay out of designated clubs, pubs and ”no-go” zones. State government tender documents showed the Coalition planned to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to keep some offenders out of licensed premises, to ensure greater protection for the general public.

Initially the GPS tracking devices were intended to be used solely to monitor sex offenders, convicted arsonists on supervision orders and some suspects released on bail before trial. And now they will be used to monitor thugs and drunks, who have a record of violence. These individuals have been placed on community corrections orders, a new sentencing option that came into effect after the government moved to abolish suspended sentences and home detention.

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Zimmerman Released from Jail Early Monday Morning

George Zimmerman, the man who has been at the center of media attention for the controversial killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was released early Monday morning after posting $150,000 bail. He left the Sanford jail wearing a brown Pittsburgh Steelers jacket and carrying a brown paper bag. Zimmerman was also fitted with a GPS tracking device that the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Seminole County probation officials will use to monitor his movements.

Being escorted from jail by his bondsman, Michael Smith of Magic Bail Bonds, Zimmerman quickly got into the back seat of a white BMW and was driven away. He did not comment to reporters, who were kept at a distance.

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Government to Monitor Citizens in Light of Public Protest

Government officials in Beijing (China), one of the most highest populated cities in the world, will soon be tracking the daily movements of 17 million residents by tapping into their cell phones. Authorities have proposed a new program designed to help ease traffic congestion by providing up to the minute data on an individual’s movements.

The project, dubbed the “Information Platform of Realtime Citizen Movement,” will use a person’s cell phone, local cell towers, and GPS tracking technology, which has become a standard module of nearly all of today’s smart phones. Individual cell phones will transmit GPS data to servers that will give government officials unprecedented amounts of information on a person’s current location and their trajectory within Beijing.

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