GPS Tracking

REVERE, MA – A long-time public works employee in Revere, MA faces termination and a series of felony charges after security cameras, along with a GPS tracking device on a city-issued truck, caught him stealing signs, which he allegedly sold for scrap.

An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 blank, metal signs went missing from the Revere Department of Public Works (DPW) sign shop over a period of several months. Michael Ferragamo, a carpenter with the department for 22 years, is charged with breaking and entering with the intent of committing a felony, and larceny.

The most recent theft was reported June 3, when the sign maker returned to work after personal leave for a family funeral.

City vehicles in Revere are equipped with passive GPS vehicle tracking systems. So when the theft was reported, police downloaded the location data stored on the GPS tracking units of public works vehicles. Investigators discovered that one city truck made unauthorized trips to the city yard on three consecutive weekdays in late May and early June. Surveillance cameras and alarm reports further helped police narrow the search for a suspect. Detectives believe the criminal got access to the locked sign shop by using another employee’s alarm code.

When questioned, Ferragamo confirmed what the vehicle tracking report indicated. He had stolen signs, both recently and several times in the past. June’s batch of stolen signs was traced to a scrap yard in Everett, about three miles away. An employee told police he paid between $500 and $700 for them.

 The city upgraded security at the public works property last year. A city council member who proposed the equipment expenditure at the time had been criticized for being frivolous with city funds.

“Clearly, this was a reason why I felt it was important to have GPS tracking and cameras at the city yard,” councilman George Rotondo said after learning of the arrest. “After great ridicule from members of the council and the administration, this has proven to be an effective way to ensure accountability at the DPW.”

The sign theft was the latest in a series of incidents over the last year that put the Revere public works department in a bad light. Previously, a councilman accused the public works superintendent of assault, a public works supervisor accused crew members of sabotaging a city vehicle and the state investigated allegations that the department was bucking safety regulations.

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Tags: GPS Tracking, theft, Vehicle Tracking

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 3:05 pm and is filed under All Articles, GPS Tracking in Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.