GPS Tracking

Privacy Debate Goes On and On

Protect Yourself, but Use to Your Advantage

Any time someone brings up the issue of privacy and security one of two reactions is almost always observed:  anger or apathy.  This polarizing topic has many up in arms these days because there are more ways to breach your privacy than at any other time in history.

GPS Tracking systems are also in the mix of these debates.  In fact, talking about the vulnerabilities of using GPS Tracking is a good thing.  You need to know that you are vulnerable and at what point you are being put at risk so that you can take measures to protect yourself.  Here’s what you should know about GPS’s dark side:

Here’s What You Should Know

GPS Enabled Cell Phones Make You Vulnerable.  When you turn on the GPS feature on your smartphone, you can be tracked.  This means that you need to be aware of the times when you need it and when you don’t and then turn it off.  Or, just face the prospect that someone could hack into your phone and monitor your location in real time.  Turn the feature off, and be sure to password protect your phone’s functions.

GPS Tracking of Your Vehicle Makes You Vulnerable.  Movies used to be the only place that we saw devices that were used to track a car’s movements.  That is no longer the case.  Devices can be attached to your car without your knowledge (it only requires two wires).  If you are in a legal dispute with someone, in a divorce for example, it would not be unheard of to have your car tracked by a spouse or ex-spouse for the purpose of collecting information that could be used against you.  Be extra aware if you are in these situations. (more…)

Theft of High Priced Items is Priority

High Tech Answers Being Deployed

You know those semis that you pass on the Interstate systems around our nation are carrying lots of merchandise – many thousands of dollars of merchandise.  Groups of thieves have been targeting these trailers for the goods that they carry so that they can steal and profit from them on the black market.

The most popular items to steal are electronics, with food and drinks about even.  The reason is because electronics are in such high demand by consumers, and the food and drinks are very easy to move once they have been stolen.  Pharmaceuticals are popular, too because of their high street value.

Thieves are smart, though, and so a concerted effort is needed by the manufacturers, logistics industry, law enforcement and government to stem the tide of these types of theft.

The First Line of Defense

GPS Tracking devices are considered the first line of defense because they can be used in three ways.  First, to track the big rigs, large ships, and rail engines that provide the horse power to pull their cargo.  These vehicles have already been using satellite-based navigation systems to help monitor the shipping departure and arrival times of their cargo. (more…)

Escaping a Tracking Device Makes You a Target

Systems are Only as Good as the Enforcement

Another incident of a convicted person removing the court-ordered tracking device was recently recounted in the Boston area.  We are seeing a few of these stories come up and while they cause alarm among citizens who are connected to them, they also bear out two other points worth considering:

The System Works

First, GPS Tracking is making a large impact in the criminal justice system because it helps weed out those who have committed crimes that are not worthy of jail time from those serious offenders that need to be kept behind bars.  Tracking devices are providing home-detention type of sentencing that allows convicts to work out their sentences while still being able to make money and remain a productive citizen.  This helps lower recidivism rates.

It also keeps prison costs lower by reducing the number of criminals held behind bars.  Some opponents to court-ordered tracking say that there is no cost savings but that is not true when you take every cost into effect. (more…)

Maritime Uses of GPS is Increasing

Installing a Dedicated GPS Device Did the Trick

Source acquired via NBC, June 15, 2010, Punta Gorda, Florida – Stealing boats and bringing them to Cuba is a popular pastime for thieves in Miami. This trend has started to move towards Southwest Florida, as one Punta Gorda family recently learned.

Expensive Yacht Discovered

While on vacation, one Punta Gorda Isles family’s 50 foot yacht was stolen. After learning that their yacht had been taken to Cuba, the family was able to track the location of the yacht using a recently installed GPS tracker. The yacht in question is worth half a million dollars, and recovering it may take some time. Even with the GPS tracker that was installed on the yacht, authorities must cross international waters in order to retrieve the yacht. In short, the family affected by this theft will have to wait until Cuban authorities can locate the thieves.

A neighbour of the Punta Gorda family told press that the family “…lived on that boat more than the house…” Once the boat had been identified by the United States Coast Guard, Cuban authorities were notified. The family was told that the boat had been “…intercepted by the Cuban border guard…” (as one Punta Gorda police officer told press), yet the boat has not been returned to its rightful owners. Neighbours who have been in touch with the Punta Gorda family told press that they have not heard from either Cuban or U.S. officials. (more…)

Thieves Know Where You Live

Take Measures to Protect Yourself

One of the most popular items to steal from a vehicle is a GPS Navigation device.  These dashboard / windshield attached devices are popular and even though the prices have come down on them, they are still a quick money-maker for thieves.

Unlike GPS Tracking devices, Navigation units are visible and highly popular.

Now, they are being used in an even more dangerous way:  telling thieves where you live.  Most people put their home address on the GPS Navigation device to enhance their use.  This is dangerous information if it gets into the wrong hands.

Prevention Steps

Here’s what you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime:

Take it with you.  When you leave your vehicle, take your GPS Navigation unit with you.  Sure, it’s a pain to take it out of the holder, but consider the alternative pain of recovering from a car and home break-in.  It’s not contest.  We become too routine in our actions when we drive from place to place.  That needs to change.

Leave no evidence behind.  Removing the brackets that hold the device will help keep those who are trying to steal these devices from making the attempt.  Usually, when they see that someone is actively doing this, they will simply move on to an easier target. (more…)

Lost Keys are Expensive to Replace

Best Advice:  Get an Extra One Make NOW

For most people, it is just a matter of time before they lose their keys.  And, many never find them making it a very frustrating thing from which to recover.  The hardest one to replace is vehicle keys.  House and other keys are very easy to duplicate and replace.

Expensive Keys

Getting a new key made for your vehicle is an expensive proposition.  Whether you call a dealer or a locksmith, you can expect to pay over $100 or more if you call during off hours or on holidays.

Then, there is the prospect of getting a key with the embedded chip that allows your vehicle to start.  Those can run into several hundred dollars. (more…)

Convenience Can Lead to Stolen Vehicles

Use Technology to Help Prevent Theft

Even with today’s modern theft deterrent systems that are placed into vehicles by manufacturers, car theft continues to be a major problem.  One shift in thieves’ methods is towards stealing older cars with less anti-theft technology.  These cars and trucks have less on them to deal with in getting them started.  So, the answer to this is to make sure that you have a vehicle that is less than five years old, if possible.  This way you will have the latest in vehicle theft technology onboard.

Stopping Auto Theft

Here are the main ways to help prevent your car from being stolen.

Always take your keys.  Never leave your keys inside of your vehicle.  Placing them under the floor mat or above the sun visor is a bad idea.  If you are prone to leaving your car running while you go into Starbucks to get your latte’, stop it.  Doing this is equivalent to placing a sign on your window that says “steal me.” (more…)

Details Concerning Unsafe Drivers is Alarming

Poor Driving Skills Runs Rampant

The following statistics concerning drivers in the United States should put a scare into anyone who reads them.

Almost 1 out of 5 drivers would not pass a written drivers test if they were given one (38 million people).  Basic rules of the road are not only disregarded, drivers do not even have knowledge of what is in those rules.

These statistics are being played out on our streets and roads today with alarming results.  One of the most telling results of a poll that was conducted by the National Drivers Test survey was that 85% could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a yellow light at an intersection even though one of the selections was to “proceed through the intersection before the light turns red.” (more…)

It’s a Switch from Stealing Cars to Stealing Parts Off of Cars

Parts Are Not Tracked – Easier to Take

Some car thieves are no longer in the business of stealing cars.  Now, they are resorting to stealing parts off of cars for resale on the black market as demand dictates.

Car theft rings still operate in most major cities, but there is a faction that has opted for this latest iteration of making money from thievery.  Face it; stealing parts can be easier, and just as lucrative.  The law of supply and demand dictate which parts are hot and which to avoid.

For example, expensive items like air bags and infotainment systems are in demand.  While it may be difficult to get infotainment systems, airbags are not as difficult.  They are usually easier to get to because there is less around in the construction of a vehicle.

Other hot items that bring quick money are expensive wheels, DVD systems, roof racks (of all things!) and aftermarket GPS Navigation units.  The idea is that today’s’ thieves are opportunists and, that stealing the whole car is not the only way to make some good (albeit, illegal) money. (more…)

GPS Systems Trump Cell Phone Based Tracking

Better Self-Policing is a Positive Thing for the Community

Source acquired via Iberia Net, June 11, 2010, St. Martinville, Louisiana – the St. Martinville Police Department is about to join hundreds of other police departments across the world by installing GPS trackers inside of police cruisers. While the department previously tracked cruisers through cell phone trackers, this type of tracking proved to be too inaccurate.

Real GPS Tracking Devices Installed

On July 1, all 16 St. Martinville patrol cars will be equipped with GPS tracking devices. St. Martinsville Officer Todd D’Albor told press that the old cell phone tracking systems “…could not get accurate readings.” As a result, the department has just spent $2000 on new GPS tracking devices, and the department will spend more than $3000 per year in service fees. Unlike the old cell phone trackers, the new GPS tracking devices will be able to keep track of speed, location, and mileage. (more…)