Archive for the ‘gps’ Category

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GPS Tracking Device Could Have Prevented Tragic Murder

By Dawn in court cases, Crime, gps, gps tracker, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, murder, Police Records, Safety, stalking, Violence at December 22nd, 2011 | No comments

 

 

 

 

According to a report made by a local news station in Denver, CO, a teacher was fatally shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend outside her Denver apartment on December 16. A GPS tracking device that would have been able to warn the victim that the suspect was nearby was not requested by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

If the suspect, Ryan Miller, had still been wearing the GPS tracker, it would have alerted Andrea Roan that he was just outside her apartment; however, it was removed after a previous domestic violence case involving Miller and Roan was taken over by the Denver District Attorney. Upon taking on the case, the District Attorney decided they did not need to track the suspected killer.

Without being privy to the details of this case, I would still have to surmise that this man was considered a dangerous character for the court to have required him to wear a GPS tracker. I wonder what changed, if anything, that led to the decision of the District Attorney to have the GPS tracker removed. This is a tragic death that could have been avoided.

“We don’t ask for it [GPS tracking devices] in every case, just those cases where we think it would be appropriate and necessary,” says Vince DeCroce. Although he was unable to talk about any specific cases, he did explain that authorities often request GPS tracking devices when they believe the victim’s life could be in danger.

Apparently, Andrea Roan’s life was in danger because she lost her life as a result of this decision.

“First and foremost is victim safety,” DeCroce says. “The tracking device sends an alert to the monitoring company if the suspect gets near the victim’s home or workplace. The company then immediately warns the victim.”

It doesn’t sound like “victim safety” was a priority here.

According to law enforcement authorities, Miller waited outside Roan’s apartment last Friday morning and then shot her in the head as she drove away. Read the full article »

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Department of Children and Families Considering Tracking Its Employees

By Dawn in gps, gps tracker, MSI Detective Services, Safety, Technology at November 30th, 2011 | No comments

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) for the State of Connecticut is considering adding GPS tracking devices to its fleet of 800 vehicles to monitor the misuse of its vehicles. “Anytime you add additional oversight you reap some benefits and efficiencies,” said Cindy Butterfield, budgetchief of DCF.

As you may have read, many companies and government agencies are installing GPS Tracking Devices to their fleets of vehicles used by employees to try and reign in costs and abuse. There are also safety considerations for employees and customers as some examples mentioned below describe. These devices can also provide safety for police officers in distress, ambulances, etc

DCF Commissioner Joette Katz estimates these GPS devices will save the state nearly $250,000 in the first year by being able to provide data on the misuse of its vehicles, verify overtime hours, and may potentially save 20% on fuel consumption. The state’s legislature’s research arm reported that it spent $15.7 million on gas alone in fiscal 2008. Since then, the state has taken steps to reduce its fleet by 800 cars. The agency also proposes cutting overtime by 10 percent for a savings of $1.7 million next year, and Butterfield said GPS tracking devices will help DCF do that.

If the proposal were to be enacted, nearly one-quarter of the states 3,243-vehicle fleet could be tracked.

Patrick Johnson, who is the president of Oak Hill, Connecticut’s largest nonprofit agency, was able to disprove allegations that one of his employees injured a client while driving him to an appointment by presenting the data extracted from the GPS tracking device, which showed that the vehicle never stopped so that the driver could not have committed the alleged offense.

It’s a real safety and protection for our employees,” said Johnson of Oak Hill, which provides services for those with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Johnson has attached GPS tracking devices on his entire fleet of 184 vans. The information collected from the tracking devices is able to show in real time the vehicle’s location and is even able to send him notifications if the driver exceeds the speed limit by more than 5 mph. Read the full article »

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N.Y. GPS Tracking Devices Detect Fire Trucks in New York Harbor

By Dawn in gps, MSI Detective Services, Technology, technorati at November 11th, 2011 | No comments

 Here is a case where the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies. I had to laugh when I read this, although I am sure the New York taxpayers are not laughing.

According to a recent discovery made by the city comptroller, the Bloomberg administration invested millions of taxpayer’s dollars to install custom-made GPS tracking devices on its fleet of fire and garbage trucks, only to have them inexplicably show up on computer screens as if they had sunk to the bottom of Long Island Sound or New York Harbor.

Two audits were released on Wednesday, which revealed that the GPS tracking devices were faulty, that they produced inaccurate locations, and possessed needless features. Along with the various hardware and software related problems associated with the devices, the audit shows that as much as $56,000 was spent for a single unit in a sanitation truck. These units were paid for with $7.3 million under the $2 billion Emergency Communications Transformation Program for New York City’s call-taking and dispatch operations. Read the full article »

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10 Ways Satellites Have Been Used to Spy on YOU

By Dawn in Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures, eavesdropping, gps, gps tracker, hidden cameras, invasion of privacy, Technology at October 20th, 2011 | No comments

A couple of weeks ago, I posted two stories on this blog and our U-Spy blog.

1. GPS Inventor Joins EFF in Asking Supreme Court to Ban Warrantless GPS Tracking

2. How to Disable Your OnStar GPS Tracking System – GM Continues to Track After Your Subscription is Cancelled

One of our readers wrote to tell us that his company had coincidentally published a similar article and asked that we share it with our readers. Here it is:

In these post-9/11 days of the Patriot Act, there has come a sharp transformation of America’s collective psyche with regard to the interrelationship between public security and personal liberty. Whereas in times past we had been a people who placed freedom above all else, today we seem more willing to compromise that freedom in the name of national defense. So then it comes as no surprise that Uncle Sam has been keeping a watchful eye on more than just his usual suspects: terrorists, communists, and militant environmentalists. Given the fact that satellites provide a global link between other technologies, their use in intelligence gathering is extensive indeed. Here’s a list of ten ways that satellites have been used to spy on you too: Read the full article »

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