Stolen Cell Phone Leads Cops to Burglar

No one goes to bed at night expecting to find a stranger in the room in the morning. In fact, that’s the stuff nightmares are made of. But that’s exactly what happened to a Seattle woman in Beacon Hill. The intruder was in the process of helping himself to a cell phone and some camera equipment when the woman awoke and confronted him. When she pushed him, he turned and ran, taking the equipment with him. Unbeknownst to the thief, his every move was being monitored by the GPS tracking device in the woman’s cell phone. When police showed up at his doorstep a short time later, they saw the camera equipment on the front porch. They then called the woman’s cell phone number and heard the phone ringing inside the house. That was enough for a warrant, and the suspect was arrested that same morning.

How GPS Tracking Assists Police in Solving Crimes

GPS tracking devices have been instrumental in helping police nab many suspected criminals. In all of the following cases, the technology proved detrimental to the thief’s plans:

CC Image courtesy of Johnny Grim via Flickr

• Bank robbers with bags of stolen cash—More than once, a bank robber has made off with a load of cash after a holdup, only to be apprehended later thanks to the GPS tracking device included in the bag.

• Cell phone thefts—Because cell phones almost universally include a GPS tracking chip, police can often find the phone (and the thief) almost immediately. Phone trackers have proved instrumental in solving simple cell phone thefts as well as thefts of other items like handbags, laptop cases, and even cars.

• Car theft rings—In areas where police suspect a car theft ring of being responsible for multiple thefts, they will sometimes place a “bait vehicle.” The bait vehicle has a GPS tracker installed and police park it in a remote area where it makes a tempting target. If the thieves take the bait, police follow the tracker and in some cases have been able to dismantle the theft ring. Even if it’s a single person responsible, the bait vehicle still makes a useful tool in catching the thief red-handed.

• Warranted Tracking of Suspect Vehicles—Most states now have privacy laws in place that say police cannot track a criminal suspect’s car without a warrant. However, if police can demonstrate cause for a warrant, the trackers can be used to follow a person’s movements in order to determine whether he is engaged in criminal activity. In one recent case, police obtained a warrant to place a tracker on the car of a suspected murderer. The tracker recorded him traveling to a remote location and immediately turning around to head home with no stops. When police retraced his movements, they discovered the body of a woman who had been missing for quite some time.

Restrictions on Cell Phone Tracking

Recently, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the police could not check data (including GPS tracking data) on the cell phones of people they arrest. Because the information contained in today’s phones tends to be both extensive and personal, police must obtain a warrant before searching a phone. Some lawmakers hope for even more restrictions on cell phone tracking, including a requirement that anyone using location data for marketing or other purposes must first obtain the permission of the phone owner. Such a law would be a game-changer for location-based marketing and for business models like FourSquare, which use a person’s location data to encourage patronage of local businesses.

It’s Tough to Be a Thief

Being a thief isn’t as easy as it used to be. Not only do you have to worry about breaking into the house without being seen and without setting off an alarm, being careful to leave no fingerprints or other identifiers, and meeting armed homeowners, but now you must also worry about the possibility of carrying a tracking device out of the house with you. Tracking devices can be anywhere: in a cell phone, in a laptop, in a jewelry box, tucked into a briefcase or backpack. You could toss one into your trunk and forget that it’s there.

That’s tough if you’re a thief. But if you’re a responsible law-abiding citizen, GPS tracking may just be one of the best ways to protect yourself and your property on the market today. There’s no need to confront the thief or put yourself in danger. Simply provide the tracking information to the police, and they’ll be well on the way to recovering what was stolen.

As a crime-fighting tool, GPS tracking has proven its worth time and time again. Perhaps one day, thieves will wise up and quit leading police straight to their doors. But until then, GPS tracking in cell phones and other devices is standing by to offer assistance.

Stolen Cell Phone Leads Cops to Burglar