Leaving a Trail of Bread Crumbs

Bank robbers are unknowingly making things too easy for police these days. At least it is easy for police when crafty bank tellers slip a little something extra into the bag of loot. The end of December saw another great example of a bank teller thinking quickly and placing a GPS tracking device into money that was being stolen. The men suspected of robbing the bank did not even make it to their destination before they were tracked down by police, identified by the bank teller, and arrested. The two suspects, Jonathan Watson and Earl Lee Alexander, were being held on charges of first degree robbery and one was also charged with possession of methamphetamine thanks to the quick thinking teller.

The Case in Lacey

This recent example occurred in the town of Lacey, Washington. The bank teller was approached by a man who implied that he had a gun. About $4,300 was taken, but the fast thinking teller was able to place a GPS tracking device into the bag before the robber left with the money. Police were able to track down the suspect in a Dodge pickup truck, where two men, both in their fifties, were detained by police. The teller was escorted to the scene of the arrest to positively identify one suspect from the crime, and the other suspect offered information about the crime, stating that he did not want to go through with it because he thought they would get caught. It would appear to be a very open and shut case for the prosecution, thanks to the GPS tracking device and the skillful use of it by the teller. Here are some similar recent examples of theft crimes solved using GPS data:

Date	Location	GPS Tracker Location	Outcome
October 2013	Detroit	Tracker placed in bottle of oxycontin	Four suspects arrested after pharmacy was robbed
November, 2014	Delaware	Tracker located in cell phone	A student was robbed, but police later found suspect thanks to GPS tracking unit in phone
January 2014	Philadelphia	Tracker placed in prescription bottles	Two suspects arrested within 30 minutes of break-in
January, 2014	Phoenix	Tracker located on a drill	Suspects were tracked after shoplifting a drill and escaping with the use of a gun

Not Limited to Finding Money

The recent example in Lacey created a situation where money was recovered, but this GPS tracking technology is not just being used to find stolen money. This is similar technology to what is being used in cell phones today, that can also help victims retrieve their belongings quickly. It has also been used in prescription drug caps, as many pharmacies are being robbed and prescriptions are being stolen from mailboxes and homes. It is helpful that these devices are not very large and can be easily concealed in places as small as pill bottles. More and more stores are also using this kind of technology. For a small outlay of cost, a business can be certain that they will not permanently lose certain things of value due to theft. It also allows for employees to act with less fear of bodily harm, since they don’t have to be the “hero” and can just hand over whatever is being requested.

Pushers, Pullers, and Loggers

The kind of GPS tracking device used to “bug” the money bag was most likely either a GPS pusher or a GPS puller tracking system, and not likely to be a logger. A GPS logging system is what you would think of if you ever take a picture and have your image store your geolocation by accessing the GPS positioning of your camera. This kind of technology would only be helpful if the thief begins to use the device to take pictures or otherwise directly access the GPS data. A GPS tracking device that “pushes” information can do so at a variety of settings, which might be anything from every 5-10 minutes to whenever there is a change of course in the item being tracked. This is most likely what was used in the Lacey case. Another kind of GPS tracking is referred to as a “puller,” which pulls location information at regular intervals and can also have information requested from it. This kind of GPS tracking device is not in common use today.

Just Like Following Bread Crumbs

Whatever kind of GPS tracking device is used, it becomes very easy for authorities to find and retrieve whatever was stolen. Often, these devices are small and unnoticeable unless you are looking for them specifically. There is hardly a simpler way to do police work when the devices can help anybody find anything. Once you have the device back in hand, you have the suspects and have retrieved what was stolen. It really is as simple as following a trail of bread crumbs!

Leaving a Trail of Bread Crumbs