Debate - Should We Track All Vehicles?

Self | 12-15-02 | doosee

[doosee]

One question Doosee: why did you choose a title of "Debate - Should We Track **All** Vehicles..."? Why didn't you ask whether LOJACK is a good business venture?

Let me ask you, Is LOJACK a single standard that is common across ALL vendors? I work with technology every day and even Microsoft is non standard within its different operating system versions. I don't have the answer but if LOJACK and ONSTAR a like VHS and BETA, we then would not have a workable system. Keep in mind I am trying to learn here.

[strela]

I don't have the answer but if LOJACK and ONSTAR a like VHS and BETA, we then would not have a workable system.

Do all police departments and government agencies use only one radio frequency?

[doosee]

Let me ask you a serious question. Why not require everyone to have a computer chip implanted in there bodies? Afterall, the technology is most certainly there for this. And, even better is that almost every crime will be solved because everyone can be tracked. Would you be for this? This most certainly would have caught the snipers, even if they had changed cars (which would have foiled your car tracking system)


No, I don't favor computer chips in our bodies. A car or truck is a piece of property, an inaminate object that can be easily stolen and moved. Vehicles are used in some way in probably 95% (a guess here) of our crimes. There is no second amendment right on vehicles. I appreciate this as a serious question.

[doosee]

Do all police departments and government agencies use only one radio frequency?

You are making a good point even if unintentional. Local, state, and federal law enforcement coordination is very poor overall. That is what makes it so easy for a criminal to go on a multi-state crime spree. They definitely do not use one RF. A good example of a common band is the aviation system communications.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

But I thought you said you were interested in stopping crimes using technology? People being abducted is relatively rare. Armed robberies and burglary isn't so rare. Why not use the technology available to help stop these much more common crimes?

Also, you said we could have stopped the snipers earlier if we had your program in place. My idea would have caught them too, even if they were on foot! A vehicle may be used in a crime, but you said the system should only be activated by families looking for their missing family members, so I don't see how your system would help in most crimes.

Also, sometimes people steal cars and then commit crimes. If they later abandon the car, we have no way of knowing who committed the crime, only what they drove. Under my system, we will know exactly who is at the crime scene.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

We should not track the vehicles of law abiding citizens. But violent/molesting felons? Sure. Non-citizens? Sure. And if they tamper with the tracking device, we put an APB out on them.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Don't ever give the government any power you would not want Hillary Clinton to have.

The only power I would want the government to have, then, would be to rake a tin cup across iron bars....

[doosee]

We should not track the vehicles of law abiding citizens. But violent/molesting felons? Sure. Non-citizens? Sure. And if they tamper with the tracking device, we put an APB out on them.


Excellent thought. I had posted before that tracking is only turned on when it is officially requested and documented. I hadn't thought of how effective this could be for automatically tracking criminal's vehicles. Remember though, it's the vehicle that is tracked so many issues would need to be thought through on this. Non citizens is a tough category. Registered visitors on green cards, etc. could be tracked, but illegals? Not sure.

[doosee]

Gotta run an errand. I will respond afterwhile....

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

It isn't perfect, of course. But catch a felon or green card in the wrong vehicle, you can lock them away, deport, etc. The danger of stealing a car is growing with technology. In five years, it will be extremely dangerous to steal a car. FReegards....

[gatex]

"If Alice Donovan, for one example, could have pressed an alarm button on her keychain and activated a transmitter alarm, her life may have been spared."

Why couldn't she have simply pressed the alarm button on her Second Amendment?

[gatex]

"Remember, WE are the government.."

Try to get a concealed handgun carry permit in California.

[johnny7]

In five years, it will be extremely dangerous to steal a car..

Why? State facts. You can rent a car under a false credit card and license.

A stolen car can get different plates.

Some sucker can lend you their car. Cops don't find killer/terrorists... they find victims.

Cops don't want to deal with illegals. Not their job and no revenue in it.

[gatex]

" I had posted before that tracking is only turned on when it is officially requested and documented..."

It would soon be turned on in metropolitan areas to document where vehicles came from and where they went -- for traffic control and for surveys used to plan future roadways and traffic signals.

[gatex]

"I had posted before that tracking is only turned on when it is officially requested and documented..."

Instrumentaion would soon be available at Radio Shack that would make it useful in divorce cases.

[gatex]

"It is interesting to see comments from cowboy types who assume that just because government has information they will misuse it. We simply must at some point realize that times have changed and security must be increased."

Give us your comments on the IRS agents reviewing income tax data that they were not supposed to access.