Local News

Oscar Winners, Fashions, Stars

And The Oscar Goes To... More

Oscar Red Carpet Fashion 2008 Snubbed By Oscar Oscar Winners: Where Are They Now? Up For Oscar: The Nominations

• May 13, 2008 9:40 am US/Eastern
• Digg | Facebook | E-mail

  Close WindowE-mail This Page

  Miramar Police Fight Crime With GPS

  Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

  ---

  • Recipient E-mail:* 
  • • Your Name:* 
    • Your E-mail:* 
  • Add a Message:
  •   Send me a copy of this e-mail.

  • Type the characters in this picture:* Click here to refresh with new letters

  ---

  The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

  Send E-mail

  | Print

Miramar Police Fight Crime With GPS

Unions Express Caution When Using GPS Devices To Monitor Crime, Not Police

There was a time not long ago if an officer did not communicate by radio, then it would have been difficult to determine where he was. Times have changed with the advent of Global Navigation Systems, also known as GPS.  In Miramar, the police have incorporated GPS devices in vehicles, where a dispatcher can see in real time where units are located, what type of call they're on and how long they've been there.

Major Ray Black, Miramar patrol commander, told CBS4 Joan Murray, "It is very valuable when you're looking for suspects trying to locate someone in a perimeter.  If it needs to be adjusted, you can see where everyone is located and make those adjustments accordingly."

Officers also consider it a lifesaver if anything should go wrong when they're out on patrol; a GPS can pinpoint their exact location if communication is not possible. 

Miramar officer Rob Ward says GPS means safer streets especially if one is unfamiliar with a specific area. He added, "You can look at the map and know if the units have an area covered.  You can go to another, lock it down and keep the bad guys from getting away."

It could be an asset to protect people while keeping police officers out of harm's way. Though, police unions who favor GPS devices express caution that the monitoring technology does not get abused when fighting crime.  Some union officials are also wary of officers being too closely monitored by GPS devices while on the job.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)