GPS Tracking

The recent conglomeration of natural disasters in Japan, including a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and devastatingly powerful tsunami had many predictable extreme implications regarding the health and safety of the country’s citizens, but few took into consideration that the storm would have on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  While the risk of widespread nuclear disaster has since been deterred, the need for a safer and more efficient means of harnessing electrical energy in an age of ever-receding natural resources has risen to the forefront of many political agendas in the United States and abroad.  One viable option that many have undertaken in recent times is the ability to harness the power of wind to generate enough electrical energy to power an entire town’s electrical grid on a consistent basis.  While many environmental law enforcement advocates praise the logistics of the system for its minimal ecological footprint, others have been quick to point out that no system is without its flaws.  One major complaint concerns the potential hazard that birds, bats, and other winged animals encounter when attempting to traverse through a wind farm.  To counter this threat, wind farmers municipal law enforcement departments have jointly proposed implementing a GPS tracker into members of winged migratory animal groups to analyze relevant GPS tracking information and avoid the threat of further wildlife death surrounding wind farms.

Many of the largest operational wind farms are located in the United States.  Consisting of several hundred large individual wind turbines covering an extended area of hundreds of square miles, the installed capacity of wind power in this country at the end of 2009 was just over 35,000 megawatts (35 GW), making it the world leader ahead of Germany.  Additionally, by 2030 the U.S. is projected to generate 20% of the nation’s electricity from wind energy.  Although many of the environmental hazards associated with other forms of energy generation are avoided with wind farming, the turbulent vacuum generated by the rotating turbine blades can pose a severe threat to small birds and bats.  A recently approved wind farm in southern Wyoming is slated to utilize military-grade GPS tracking technology to track these birds and bats in hopes of minimizing turbine-related deaths.

Developer Power Co. of Wyoming LLC will collect GPS tracking data from golden eagles, bald eagles, hawks, and other bird species throughout the town of Rawlins.  A GPS tracker attached to a number of these birds will allow environmental law enforcement officials in the region to collect and analyze data about their habitat and migration patterns, and will be used in a management plan for birds and bats on the company’s Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project.  By using a GPS tracker, Wyoming wind energy developers are ensuring that our nation continues to lead the way in pioneering methods of harnessing the power of Mother Nature while keeping some of her most endangered bird species out of harm’s way in the process.

_{»crosslinked«}

As the ongoing issue of warrantless GPS tracking spreads across the nation, the Justice Department has finally weighed in. The individual rulings have varied from state to state. The case that prompted the Justice Department’s 121-page brief involves the conviction of Antoine Jones for running a drug ring in the Washington, D.C. area. The GPS tracking device along with cell phone records were instrumental in securing that conviction. Jones’s attorneys argued that his fourth amendment right was violated.

The case was sent to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia where the justices refused to reconsider the decision. The Department argued “Prompt resolution of this conflict is critically important to law enforcement efforts throughout the United States. The Court of Appeals decision seriously impedes the governments’ use of GPS devices in the beginning stages of an investigation”.

Law enforcement agents had successfully acquired a warrant for the GPS tracking device but it was only valid for 10 days and only good within a specific geographic region. The device was not installed until the 11th day and outside the district. This technicality underscores the Justice Department’s concern for handcuffing the law enforcement community. Securing a warrant for a GPS tracking device does not necessarily ensure agents the window of opportunity required.  Judges that have ruled on behalf of law enforcement stated that individuals do not have an expectation of privacy on public roads. This argument has legal precedent and sets the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court review. This is what has the Justice Department concerned. At a time when budgetary constraints limit law enforcement resources, the significance of the Supreme Court consideration will have wide spread implications.

(more…)

A Meridian, ID man was released on bond but not without the constraints of GPS tracking technology. Rob Hall is accused of murdering attorney Emmett Corrigan in a shopping center parking lot. Because law enforcement and prosecutors believe he is a flight risk, Judge James Cawthon placed several conditions on his release including the GPS tracking device.

The need for GPS tracking bracelets are more common for sex offenders but serve as a deterrent to those intent on fleeing. California courts are leading the charge as Proposition 83 (also known as Jessica’s Law) was passed by voters in 2006. Since that time, more than 6,500 paroled sex offenders have been equipped with the technology. The cost to the state to operate each device is between $ 8 and $ 10 per day. Although this is an expensive solution, law enforcement officials believe the money is well spent.

In addition to parole, a pilot program is being tested where the GPS tracking device is being used to maintain house arrest. This would be an alternative to jail and would serve multiple purposes. With the overcrowding problem in today’s correctional facilities, GPS tracking can fill this need. The more tools law enforcement agencies have at their disposal, the better the public can be served.

(more…)

Auto theft has long been a major concern for law enforcement officials across the globe. As gas prices rise and reliance on personal transportation remains prominent in our society and others like ours, the safety of our vehicles is a high priority for individuals, corporate fleets, and law enforcement bodies alike. In the past few years, many municipal law enforcement agencies have implemented ‘baited’ cars equipped with a GPS tracking device. When left in areas known for high levels of automobile theft, baited cars are able to be tracked by police officers via the constantly-transmitting GPS tracking signals broadcast by the network of orbiting satellites. With the successful implementation of a baited car program in the Canadian province of British Columbia, law enforcement officials in the area have recently decided to expand their program to encompass a number of baited trailers as well.

Shirley Bond, British Columbia’s Solicitor General, announced in a recent press conference that more than 500 trailers have been stolen in the past year alone. This statistic encompasses trailers of all kinds, from recreational and camping-type trailers to mobile and utility units. Companies that need trailers to haul inventory and supplies across the region have also cited a need for some kind of attention placed on this rising issue, as trailer theft can lead to large and unnecessary costs in the protection and retrieval of trailer units not secured by GPS tracking technology. Ms. Bond stated with hopeful enthusiasm that the bait trailer program would become as successful as the bait car program has for the greater British Columbia region and noted that automobile theft was down 22% from 2009, when the baited car program was put into action.

(more…)

Graffiti and other forms of urban vandalism have been a constant and costly headache for local law enforcement agencies for years. Virtually every metropolitan area across the nation strives to maintain a superior aesthetic appeal, and the costs to clean up a “tagged” building detract funds from more productive long term urban rejuvenation projects. A new program was announced throughout San Diego County last Thursday that hopes to harness the potential of GPS tracking technology to combat urban vandalism.

The 18-month pilot program includes every city in San Diego County as well as the Metropolitan Transit System, the North County Transit District, and the San Diego Unified Port District. They plan to test a new GPS tracking system designed to target and track signs of graffiti across the county, attempting to punish offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. Law enforcement officers know all too well that the symbols and monikers taggers leave behind serve as an invitation for future criminal activity. The program, Graffiti Tracker, analyzes these various unique symbols using a combination of GPS tracking and satellite data. By communicating this data to local law enforcement, specific suspects are able to be assessed multiple citations based on prior tracking, and the patterns of vandalism can be analyzed and used to forecast potential sites of interest for taggers.

(more…)

Are Laws Keeping Pace With Science?

Under what circumstances can a police officer slap a global positioning system (GPS) Tracking device on your car to gather evidence against you in a legal matter?

To what lengths can an authority figure go, to hide a high-tech vehicle tracking device on your personal property?

If you’re looking to the courts for a legal opinion about GPS tracking, keep looking. Two states recently addressed the issue in court, but ended up with very different, if not opposite, results.

Courts Conflict on Legality

Both considered government placement of GPS tracking devices, specifically, in what cases the action would be unjustified and an intrusion. At the heart of the matter is whether vehicle tracking units can be installed on private vehicles without a warrant. A warrant is a court-approved search in which officers specify the reasons behind the surveillance or search. It details the place to be searched and the person, things or information that is sought. (more…)