We all know about the enormous benefit vehicle tracking devices have had on law enforcement. Investigators can use GPS trackers to keep tabs on suspects and parolees, with great results. While some have expressed serious privacy concerns over the issue—and courts will likely debate on the exact legal use of GPS trackers for years to come—it is worth noting that there’s plenty use for GPS trackers on police vehicles as well.

Many cities are beginning to outfit their police vehicles with GPS trackers as they realize the benefits. GPS units themselves are now easy enough to purchase and install, and their features more than make up for the initial investment.

One benefit is that dispatchers can easily coordinate multiple vehicles to respond to emergencies. Many real-time GPS trackers can feed location data to a central server, which can be accessed to show a map of the tracking area overlaid with the tracked units. Dispatchers can see instantly which police vehicles are closest to the area of disturbance and send units accordingly.

Of course, with closer management also comes greater accountability. Police tempted to misuse vehicles on their off-time can now be tracked by a logging system, and excess mileage is kept to a minimum. Routes can be surveyed to ensure that drivers covered their designated areas appropriately and stayed on task.

It’s not all negative, of course. Many officers are often accused of misusing their authority, and a GPS tracker log can go a long way to disprove false charges that say they were one location when they were actually in another. Also, as city roads evolve and shift, police departments often need to reexamine where their units operate and whether their existing patrols are as efficient as they could be. GPS tracker logs can help authorities choose a better distribution of vehicles and police coverage. They can examine maps overlaid with the tracking data to identify missed areas and over-concentration.

And on extreme occasions, a GPS tracker could mean the difference between life and death. Police vehicle hijackings are few and far between, but a GPS tracker onboard would ensure that any such incident would be ended shortly.

Just recently, Fort Wayne, Indiana saw its police vehicles outfitted with GPS trackers, thanks to a program that was proposed two years before. Dispatchers especially are happy with the new features, and they these new tools will help them keep everyone in their community just a little safer.

Here is the GPS Tracker Phone designed for children and seniors, incorporated with the latest GPS tracking technology and extra ease of use. It comes with elegant construction, intuitively designed buttons, and is ideal for personal or business uses. Highlights: Slim design and easy to use; GSM Tri-band frequency with 5 preset phone numbers; GPS function through either SMS Txt or Computer software; Timed report + Geo-fence for more security; FREE mini USB earphone; Computer software provided for easy setup.

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Students at Virginia Tech will soon be able to check the status and location of campus shuttles by phone, thanks to a new GPS tracking solution dreamt up by the student government and the computer science department. This summer, the school is installing GPS tracking devices on each of its buses, which will feed location data to a web-based system which can be accessed via PC, smartphone, and Web applications like Twitter.

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Election officials in the Philippines are using GPS trackers to safeguard polling machines and the security convoys that transport them, as reported by the local media on Friday. The tracking devices will be installed on each police escort vehicle accompanying the machines as they travel from their storage warehouse in Laguna to the various polling centers in Metro Manila, the urban area where local elections will be taking place.

Since the escort route covers areas known to be havens for gangs and political action groups who’ve interfered with elections in years past, officials consider armed escorts with GPS trackers essential in preventing disruption.

The logistical task for elections officials is immense. Over 6 million ballots and 7,500 polling machines have to be delivered to the thousands of polling stations in this one metro area, and the potential for any particular anti-government group to disrupt the process is significant.

Election officials across the globe use GPS trackers regularly to ensure the safety and integrity of polling machines. In 2009, officials in India employed GPS trackers during the country’s national elections. In previous years, anti-government protesters had hijacked election vehicles, sabotaging the polling machines and preventing some precincts from having adequate voting equipment. To prevent theft and to determine when any attacks might occur, GPS trackers were installed in voting equipment. Though only armed escorts could repel separatist attacks, the tracking devices provided valuable intelligence on where and when the attacks occurred. For precincts in particularly extreme locations, helicopters transported the voting machines.

Closer to home, some states have employed GPS trackers in their elections, as well. Arizona was one of the first, most notably in Maricopa County, which uses tracking devices to monitor all 17,000 pieces of voting equipment in the area. The tracking program is set to be fully operational in May, but already election officials have installed the trackers on most equipment. The tracking data allows them to see where each piece of equipment is at any one time, ensuring that all are in secure locations where risk of tampering is minimal. The data also provides valuable feedback to election coordinators, who can use the information to make the transportation and delivery of polling machines more efficient in the future.

While the value of GPS trackers in elections security is unquestionable, funding is often a problem. In the United States, the Help America Vote Act has given many states and counties the chance to invest in such equipment. But elsewhere in the world, GPS trackers are an investment in safety and integrity that requires some sacrifice.

iControl Incorporated announced mLOCK, a patent-pending electronic conveyance lock that integrates security, tracking, and communications into one device. The mLOCK has a padlock design allowing for easy installation onto any conveyance using a latch closing system. Door intrusion detection is achieved using a combination of hasp-integrity sensing, “Trusted Zones”, and motion detection. If the hasp is cut, opened outside of a remotely configurable geo-zone or radio network, or experiences severe shock, this triggers an alarm condition that is immediately uploaded to a remote server. The mLOCK is also equipped with autonomous GPS so the conveyance can be tracked and intrusion events located.

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GPS trackers have long been a staple for modern law enforcement. Few devices have so extended the reach and investigative capacity of police and parole officers than the GPS-enabled ankle bracelet. Yet as states and communities eye the aggregated cost of employing these devices on thousands of cases, some have decided to question the reliability of GPS tracking systems, while others still sing their praises.

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by Greg Bartlett / guest author

GPS vehicle tracking provides many car owners with the ability to keep an eye on their vehicles remotely, whether at work or at home. Benefits such as the ability to watch not only the location of a car, but also it’s speed, fuel usage, direction of travel and number of stops can give owners invaluable information if a car is stolen. Parents can also use the technology to monitor the driving habits of their teenagers, hopefully nipping problem behaviors such as speeding and reckless driving in the bud before they escalate.

Some owners will be interested to know, however, that they may not be the only ones monitoring the location of their vehicles. Car lots have begun including GPS technology in the cars they sell and using the tracking capabilities to locate cars whose owners have defaulted on their payments. Both rental car companies and dealers routinely make use of GPS vehicle tracking to keep tabs on their vehicles they own, making losses due to theft much less likely. Repossessions of vehicles can be accomplished much more easily as well, since the dealer or finance company just needs to activate the tracking device in order to locate and take possession of the vehicle.

While this type of monitoring has helped car dealers by reducing losses, the potential for privacy violations may concern some consumers. One disgruntled former employee of a Dallas auto dealership decided to seek revenge on his company by disabling engines and setting off horns on cars that were purchased from the business. While no one was injured, the potential for moving cars to have their engines disabled remotely should raise red flags for both companies and consumers. One possible solution would be to limit access to the GPS tracking information to certain employees only, and to change passwords regularly so that former employees no longer have access to the system.

Although GPS vehicle tracking can present tricky situations such as this one, the benefits for most companies far outweigh the risks. Monetary savings in the thousands of dollars mean lower operating costs for the company and in turn, lower prices on consumer goods. As the technology continues to evolve, consumers can expect more applications in both the personal and business realm.

GPS vehicle tracking should be a consideration for any company maintaining a fleet of vehicles and for consumers wishing to prevent theft. The technology could garner significant savings, making other fund allocations possible.

About the author: Greg Bartlett is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and has earned two master’s degrees.

by Greg Bartlett / guest author

Although the recession has caused great damage on the economy, one thing that people are still purchasing is automobiles. Unfortunately, some who can afford a car will just steel them. Some people invest a lot of time and energy into their cars and the thought of losing such a valuable asset would be absolutely devastating to them. There are several ways to prevent auto theft, but one way in particular is with a GPS device.

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