GPS Tracking

An Ongoing Legal Gray Area

In an economy where one’s job is one of the most valuable assets you can possess, many employees are developing a fear that taking leave for personal reasons may be seen by their employers as a sign of disloyalty and may constitute grounds for probation or even termination of employment.  Physician Dr Louis J. Nitsos (Louis Nitsos) notes that when there is a disconnect in communication between employer and employee regarding reasons for time off and the length of intended leave, the potential for unwarranted termination or hostility in the workplace upon the employee’s return is greatly amplified.  With all of the current controversy surrounding law enforcement’s use of GPS tracking systems to track suspects without a warrant and whether or not this is a violation of the Fourth Amendment, authors and medical experts such as Dr. Nitsos have recently begun to wonder aloud whether an employer may take the same course of action as law enforcement and use a GPS tracking device to track an employee who is suspected of taking unfair advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

(more…)

_{»crosslinked«}

In a tight economy, anyone lucky enough to still have a job is probably being asked to tighten his belt  and keep his nose to the grindstone.

It doesn’t seem too much to ask, especially in a municipality, which operates off public monies.

The mayor’s attempt to run a tight ship in Dyersburg, TN almost ended up with a sinking ship. GPS tracking devices were installed on city vehicles, to see if departments could be run more productively. What the vehicle tracking reports revealed was embarrassing gaps in service, laziness and wastefulness.

People in the GPS tracking business are always extolling the benefits of their vehicle tracking devices. One application is in small business. GPS tracking can greatly increase efficiency. Vehicle tracking receivers capture satellite signals and determine an object’s location exactly, within feet or inches of accuracy. GPS tracking updates position every few seconds or minutes, depending on the vehicle tracking device. With that GPS tracking data, a business owner can “see” where any vehicle is, its direction, speed, and every stop.

In a business sense, GPS tracking can also reveal where employees are wasting time, and therefore money. (more…)