Every 24 seconds, another vehicle is stolen in the United States. Every minute, 20 property crimes (robbery, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft) are committed, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Report released in November 2003.
Before dual-enabled GPS/cellular tracking technology hit the streets, covert surveillance typically required the deployment of radio transmitters on target vehicles. The Radio Frequency (RF) devices required sophisticated receiving equipment, and added manpower as another car often was required to follow the target vehicle.
Today, a dynamic duo, GPS/cellular tracking technology is being deployed openly inside vehicles--helping trucking companies, taxicabs, police departments and rental car agencies keep track of, and better leverage, their people and property through improved navigation and realtime fleet management. It's also being deployed covertly outside vehicles--helping "the good guys" keep tabs on "the bad guys" so they can crack down on today's increasingly elaborate theft rings and recover precious pilfered property.
Lieutenant Tim Stewart of the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force said he and a team of officers have been using GPS/cellular tracking systems for less than a year, and the technology already has helped net more than a dozen thieves, while aiding in the recovery of more than $6 million worth of property.
"We've recovered more than 50 truck tractors and 75 trailers--many filled with stolen equipment and merchandise--in short order using just a few GPS/cellular integrated systems," Lt. Stewart said.
"As judges become more familiar with how the technology works, and our track record of following and catching criminals and recovering millions of dollars of property continues to grow, it's becoming a lot easier to receive the legal clearance needed to pursue this type of covert surveillance," Lt. Stewart said. "I don't want to go too much into how we present our case or deploy the GPS/cellular technology, for obvious reasons--but suffice it to say that these systems are leading us right into the lion's den, the inner circles of some of the country's most-elaborate theft rings."
Helping Hand
It's tough to be tough on crime with tight budget constraints, Lt. Stewart said.
"We would love to obtain more GPS/cellular asset trackers, but we just absorbed a $240,000 annual budget cut," Lt. Stewart said. "We didn't even purchase the few systems we're using. They're on loan to us. Without this GPS/cellular tracking technology, these elaborate theft rings more than likely would be having their way with us for the most part."
Two San Antonio, Texas-based companies--Heavy Track, which specializes in anti-theft tracking services for heavy construction equipment, and machinery dealer Holt Caterpillar--demonstrated firsthand just how deep the heart of Texas is by loaning several GPS/cellular tracking systems, and related software, interfaces and tracking services, to the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force.
Alan Day, President of Heavy Track, said the company has been purchasing GPS/cellular-enabled asset-tracking devices since 2000. Heavy Track integrates the Asset-Link 100 hardware to its proprietary software application and back-end and Web interfaces primarily to protect sellers and users of heavy construction equipment.
Technology Trail
"These theft rings are bigger and run deeper than most can even imagine--with teams of experienced thieves and transporters, and well-connected networks of sellers and buyers of stolen vehicles, bigdollar construction equipment and other pricey, in-demand goods," Lt. Stewart said. "These guys work around the clock. They're growing every day, while our budgets are shrinking. But thanks to GPS/cellular technology, we're hot on their tracks and catching more in the act every week."
Day said that initially the GPS/cellular asset tracking systems were placed in concealed positions on construction equipment such as a skid steer loader, which then was parked in high-crime areas as bait. Later, the task force turned to moreactive GPS/cellular covert surveillance, obtaining clearance from judges in select cases to place the systems on suspects' vehicles. Asset location and speed data automatically populates password-protected web sites so vehicles and equipment can be tracked and monitored in real time.
"We basically have taken a 'take me to your leader' approach, and time and again these thieves lead us right to the scene of their crimes, as well as to their partners in crime," Lt. Stewart said. "With GPS/cellular technology, we can track their every move and pinpoint locations and players.
"We can even set up parameters of approved operation based on location, speed, and time of day, and alert clients as needed and requested when equipment and/or vehicles are being operated outside previously approved parameters," Day said.
Lt. Stewart said the task force tested another surveillance system specified and owned by a government agency, but it cost several times more than the GPS/cellular integrated tracking system lent by Heavy Track, and didn't perform nearly as well.
"We borrowed a $40,000-$50,000 high-tech unit from the U.S. Customs Department, but for whatever reason it timed out in a matter of minutes, and was of no use to us after that," Lt. Stewart said. "In this case, the GPS/cellular technology commercially available to everyone, outperformed what the federal government is using in certain applications--and it did so at a fraction of the cost."
"Some theft rings now are trying to move their stolen goods less, and keep and sell them under cover, where satellite signals are hazy at best," Lt. Stewart said. "But we're using devices that couple GPS and cellular technology, so we can narrow assets down to a two- to three-mile radius even when the stolen equipment, vehicles and merchandise are indoors. Sometimes, we find an employee temporarily 'borrowing' company equipment for personal use, but usually it's an elaborate theft ring."
Netting $avings
With this particular GPS/cellular tracking device costing about $500 to purchase plus approximately $16 per month in monitoring service fees, Day said the recovery of just one piece of construction equipment or one loaded trailer easily can pay for dozens of tracking systems.
"It's important to remember that the ROI with GPS/cellular technology isn't just about tracking location and speed, and recovering equipment, vehicles and merchandise," Day said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Day said GPS/cellular asset-tracking systems can be used to:
* Set preventative maintenance schedules based on logged engine hours, miles traveled and the proximity of various equipment
* Log and analyze performance data such as engine temperature, oil and tire pressure, break wear and fuel efficiency
* Record refrigerated-load temperature changes, and alert clients when levels approach unsafe temperatures
* Automatically notify parties when cargo weight has changed en route
* Provide geo-fencing capabilities, and remote door lock and ignition controls
* Incorporate automatic safety features such as crash and airbag deployment notification with emergency dispatch.
"Many are finding that they can reduce their insurance premiums and deductibles by 10 percent or more on construction equipment and certain vehicles just by investing in a GPS/cellular asset-tracking system and related service plan," Day said.
"Both sides of the law are learning the capabilities of GPS/cellular tracking--right now, one side is a lot happier to see the technology in use, and the other side is scrambling like heck to find a way to scramble the signals," Lt. Stewart said.
Manufacturers
San Antonio-based Heavy Track supplied the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force with its GPS asset-tracking software application and back-end and Web interfaces and related monitoring services, as well as Asset-Link 100 wireless GPS/cellular tracking system from CSI Wireless (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) incorporating an integrated 12-channel GPS receiver designed by CSI Wireless, and a SiRF Technology (San Jose, California) SiRFstarII GPS chipset with an acquisition accelerator and multi-mitigation hardware.
