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GPS units tempting targets

November 30, 2008 12:36 am

BY ELLEN BILTZ

An increasing number of Fredericksburg-area residents are seeing their GPS receivers go missing from their windshields.

"The juveniles call it car shopping," said Bill Kennedy of the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. "They usually try the unlocked cars first, but will also break in if they know there's a GPS in there."

Kennedy said many of the teens arrested for stealing from vehicles say the No. 1 thing they're looking for is a GPS unit, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

Local law enforcement officers, who are seeing more thefts of the Global Positioning System receivers used to give turn-by-turn directions while driving, say there are some common-sense ways to protect the devices from theft.

"It's almost like a sign saying, 'Come take me,'" Kennedy said of having the GPS unit on the windshield or the dash of a vehicle.

Ted Gartner, spokesman for Garmin, the world's largest distributor of GPS receivers, echoed the need for common-sense security.

"You wouldn't leave a purse with $500 in cash sitting in the seat. But people leave the GPS in the windshield," Gartner said.

AREA THEFTS INCREASING

In Stafford last year, 16 units were stolen. As of Nov. 17 this year, the number had already hit 86, Kennedy said. He said the areas most often hit in Stafford are subdivisions.

In Fredericksburg there isn't a commonly targeted area, but the number of thefts has grown dramatically, said Natatia Bledsoe, spokeswoman for the Fredericksburg Police Department.

The city saw four thefts of GPS units from vehicles in 2007. Since the beginning of 2008, there have been 16 stolen, Bledsoe said.

1st Sgt. Liz Scott of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office said there also has been a spike there, and the areas targeted there also are commonly subdivisions.

"It's definitely increased in the past year," she said. "If they're visible, they're gone."

Scott said the Sheriff's Office doesn't keep track of the specific number of GPS units stolen because they are lumped into the category of grand larcenies. But, she said, she has noticed that the thefts have more than doubled this year compared with last.

One local county has so far been spared by GPS thieves. Caroline County Sheriff Tony Lippa said he isn't aware of a single receiver stolen in the county last year or this year.

FINDING PROTECTION

While some local authorities have questioned wheth-er the economic slump is playing a role in the number of units stolen, Gartner said he believes the increase is because more people are buying them, so there are more out there to steal.

"I would be hesitant to assume the economy has played much of a role," he said.

According to Garmin's most recent quarterly report, filed Sept. 27, the company has seen a 21 percent increase in sales of automobile and mobile receivers since the same time last year.

Gartner said Garmin realizes the need for more awareness of thefts, and said the company is taking measures to work with law enforcement agencies.

"There are a lot of things people can do to prevent thefts," he said.

He said the company is providing dummy units for police to put in vehicles to try to catch thieves in the act.

Authorities say that after the units are stolen they are sometimes used by the thieves, but are often sold.

Gartner said one measure that Garmin owners, at least, can take is to put a four-digit locking code on the GPS, so that if someone does steal it, at least he can't use or sell it.

And, while a GPS can prove handy for getting from one place to another, it doesn't have a way that it can be tracked down after it's stolen.

"That's why they're called GPS 'receivers,'" Gartner explained.

He said there is nothing in the receiver that can be used to track its location, so preventing theft to start with is the best solution.

Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com