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Garmin Fleet Management GPS tracking February 19, 2007

Posted by Rich in : GPS fleet tracking , 3 comments

Garmin, which dominates the consumer GPS market, entered the fleet tracking arena last week with the announcement of the Garmin Fleet Management Interface. This move is very similar to TomTom’s recent announcement of their WORK GPS fleet tracking system.

Like TomTom’s program, the Garmin Fleet Management Interface is designed to work with existing Garmin devices — the StreetPilot, nuvi and zumo lines. This could be an ideal solution for managers who need fleet tracking, and would also benefit from their drivers having a GPS navigation device. (more…)

Maryland bill proposes GPS tracking of truant students February 12, 2007

Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking and privacy,GPS tracking children , add a comment

Wow. I’m a fan of GPS tracking, but maybe this is going too far. A legislator in Maryland has proposed GPS monitoring for truant students — repeat offenders anyway.

Maryland Delegate Doyle Niemann (D-Prince George’s Co.) says it’s not enough to simply hold parents accountable when their children don’t show up for school.

“They’re not in control of their children. They take them to school, the kid walks in the front door and then out the back door. It doesn’t make any sense to continue to beat on the parents,” he says.

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Law professors – Lifetime GPS tracking unconstitutional February 9, 2007

Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking and public safety,GPS tracking law , 1 comment so far

Three University of Wisconsin – Madison law professors are taking issue with a state law that mandates lifetime GPS monitoring of sex offenders.

The measure violates privacy rights and amounts to punishment and warrantless surveillance when applied to offenders who aren’t on parole or government supervision, the professors said in a letter sent to Corrections Secretary Matthew Frank on Feb. 3.

Another issue is that while offenders would be banned from certain areas (near schools, etc.) and authorities alerted if they enter those zones, nothing in the law gives police the authority to stop them from entering them. Weird.
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7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals okays surreptitious GPS tracking by police February 4, 2007

Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking and privacy,GPS tracking law,GPS vehicle tracking , 31 comments

On February 2, the 7th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, ruled against a defendant who claimed that the surreptitious placement of a GPS tracking device amounted to an unconstitutional search. From the court’s decision:

The police had not obtained a warrant authorizing them to place the GPS tracker on the defendant’s car. The district judge, however, found that they had had a reasonable suspicion that the defendant was engaged in criminal activity, and she ruled that reasonable suspicion was all they needed for a lawful search, although she added that they had had probable cause as well. The
defendant argues that they needed not only probable cause to believe that the search would turn up contraband or evidence of crime, but also a warrant. The government argues that they needed nothing because there was no search or seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment.

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GPS tracking for your car February 3, 2007

Posted by Rich in : GPS vehicle tracking , add a comment

There’s a new kid on the block when it comes to tracking your car by GPS. Inilex, a Chandler, Arizona company, is marketing a device called the Kepler Advantage that allows you to track your vehicle online, by email or via cell phone text messaging.

A GPS tracking device for your car can help prevent theft and allow you to keep an eye on teenage drivers. Sold for $600 to $1100, the device also requires a monthly subscription fee. The Kepler Advantage GPS tracking device is available via auto dealers.