Surveillance (GPS Tracking):

How do you know if someone isn’t where they said they’d be? What if you know someone is making extra stops on the way to where they’re supposed to be but you can’t prove it? ICS private investigators, global positioning systems (GPS) and beacon tracking technology make it easier to watch someone’s movements.

Did you know most cell phones have GPS capabilities in them? These features can be turned off (an option required by Federal law), but you can require your employees to leave GPS tracking enabled in their company handhelds. Services from Nextel and other wireless providers can deliver real-time tracking data for each subscribed unit.  Is your crew at the beach instead of at the job site in the city? Did your assistant go for lunch three hours ago and call to tell you she had car trouble? Then why is her GPS location in the middle of a department store in the mall?

GPS can be overt, like the company cell phone mentioned above, or covert, such as using a hidden device in a vehicle or package. At ICS, we believe every company vehicle should have some sort of tracking system. Many rental car agencies use GPS to ensure their vehicles aren’t going outside the appropriate area. If you are not aware that your movements are being tracked, you should start thinking about whether GPS could be announcing your location to someone else.