GPS Tracker For Burglary

How Police Use Tracking Devices For Stolen Items

How Do Police Catch Thieves?

Burglary and theft have been rising issues in many parts of the United States where the recession has hit hardest. This has left many local law enforcement agencies scrambling to find both an effective and affordable solution to bring thieves to justice. One solution that police in Grand Rapids, Michigan found that worked for them was a GPS tracker and what this vehicle monitoring tool was able to do was provide the evidence needed that resulted in two home burglary suspects being placed behind bars.

After receiving some tips from the public, law enforcement agents were able to identify a man by the name of Marwan Hassan Tawachi as the prime suspect involved in multiple home break-ins and burglaries throughout the counties of Ionia and Kent. With this information and the establishment of probable cause, the police moved forward with the acquisition of a warrant that would allow them to equip Tawachi’s automobile with a hidden GPS tracker. The tracking system would record every location Tawachi went to while time-stamping that information. After reviewing locational information from the GPS tracker that was attached to the target automobile, the GPS tracking data, in fact, showed with concrete detail that Tawachi was at a home where a home break-in burglary took place that resulted in the theft of jewelry. Therefore, Kent County Sheriffs moved in to arrest Tawachi and his passenger who was driving, only to have to chase down the other suspect later identified as Patrick Keeshan.

Once in law enforcement custody, Tawachi confessed to his role in a number of different home burglaries in the region. Law enforcement agents stated that the data from the GPS tracker device was critical in leading authorities to a swift arrest that resulted in Tawachi receiving a 1.5-15 year sentence in jail. Kent County Circuit Court records also show that Tawachi’s accomplice in the burglaries was sentenced by a judge to 3.5-15 years in jail.

Burglar Uses GPS Tracking Device

GPS trackers are often used by Houston police to help them conduct investigative work in an effort to reduce crime. Live GPS tracking units can easily be placed onto or inside a vehicle by police and then remotely monitored. The trackers are actually a valuable tool for police because they monitor activity 24/7 as well as keep the men in blue out of potentially dangerous situations. Some devices can even stay in the field for one year because of the extended battery life! Unfortunately, GPS technology may have also helped a burglar in Houston determine when his victim would leave to work.

Jeremiah Sammons is a Houston area resident who was the unfortunate victim of a home burglary. When the thieves targeted his house they were able to walk away with an estimated $100,000 in personal belongings, according to Sammons. What was perplexing to Sammons and responding police was that it seemed that the home burglars were inside his residence for an extended period of time which is highly unusual behavior for thieves. This is because thieves know they are in a race against time and therefore want to be in and out of a location as soon as possible in order to avoid being caught. This led investigators to hypothesize that the burglars may have been someone close to Sammons or at the least was aware of his schedule. Fast forward a month later and Sammons is at an automobile service center getting his oil changed for his truck. Although getting an oil change is typically uneventful, the auto mechanic provided Sammons with some very startling news about his truck: it was equipped with a real-time GPS tracking device.

Fastened to the bottom of his truck by an exterior magnetic mount, this GPS tracker was providing someone in a remote location live updates on his vehicle activity 24/. That was when it dawned on Sammons that the GPS tracker device was likely placed on his vehicle by the home burglars who were able to steal his belongings without fear he would be home.

Police Use Of Covert GPS Tracking Units

The live GPS tracker equipped on the truck owned by Sammons is believed to have cost in the $300 range and requires a monthly service obligation of around $40 for the real-time updates on location. It is believed that the GPS tracker was very similar in functionality to that of a GPS tracker used by police known as SilverCloud GPS. Although the use of live GPS tracking is typically associated with police, the same type of technology can be purchased and used by anyone as no regulations on purchase currently exist. Sammons stated he was very concerned and a little scared that his truck was being monitored via GPS tracking but feels a little assurance that the car tracker was at least discovered. Sammons took the GPS tracker to Houston Police who are investigating the matter.