Police Request GPS Tracker For Surveillance

The Palm Desert Public Safety Commission on Wednesday recommended the purchase of a GPS tracker as part of an effort to crack down on burglary and other property crimes in the city.

In a 5-0 vote, commissioners agreed to send the recommendation to the Palm Desert City Council, which will ultimately have the final say on the request for the purchase of a $4,021.75 GPS tracker using CAL Cops funds. The technology is used by investigators to track the location of a suspect of a crime.

"These are great tools. I wish they made them smaller, easier and cheaper," said Lt. Andrew Shouse of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which contracts with Palm Desert for its policing services.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department also plans on purchasing a second tracker, meaning that the Palm Desert-based Burglary Suppression Unit (BSU) would have access to two of the devices.

The BSU, which was formed in July, has worked to crack down on burglary and other property crimes in Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells.

Shouse said in 2006 the department purchased a GPS device, but that it is already obsolete.

"The team does have need for GPS devices," Shouse said. "We have borrowed devices from Inido police and the sheriff's Special Investigations Bureau ... it's Important for them to have their own."

Commissioner Marty Nethery asked if a recent Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant in the use of GPS trackers will limit the use of the device.

"It has to be more cumbersome," Nethery said.

Shouse said that the decision does have an impact, but not a serious one on burglary investigations.

"For our purposes it makes it a little more lengthy process," Shouse said, adding that it poises more of a problem for narcotics investigations.