Odds are, if you're committing a series of robberies while wearing an ankle bracelet put on you by the law, you
might not be the brightest bulb in the bunch. That's exactly what one Ohio resident got up to recently, though unfortunately for him, he was located by the GPS chip embedded in the aforementioned bracelet. Apparently, after six or so burglaries in his neighborhood, police got wise to the situation and pinpointed James Wombles using signals from his fashionable accessory, finding him innocently relaxing in a vehicle filled up with stolen items. The man had no comment, though we imagine upon capture he might have said something like, "Durrr." Once again GPS technology proves it's not just for getting cars stuck in
cherry trees.
posted Mar 13th 2008 12:13PM
The device in the picture does not have GPS.
(and I wonder how hermes would know that)
Still not as dumb as the guy who wrapped his head in duct tape as a makeshift mask and passed out while attempting a robbery because he covered his mouth and nose.
It only took 6 robberies or so, before the police suspected that it was him. He may not be stupid, but desperate for cash.
This is a stupid question... but how do GPS tracking devices (in general) transmit data back?
Does it transmit data back on some cellular channel? GSM? CDMA? some older analog protocol?
GPS ankle devices are tracked through a website. The bracelet itself transmits it's location via GPS, and the company behind it has a website that the probation/parole office can use to track information, as well as set up restricted zones, curfews, etc. in order to track the offender. The GPS unit usually uploads it's location every three to five minutes, unless it senses it is in a restricted zone or out of curfew and then it begins transmitting at a higher rate and an alert is sent to the offender's PO.
As someone else mentioned, the picture isn't a GPS device. It's actually a SCRAM alcohol monitoring device, which is used on alcohol abusers. By measuring the TAC (Transdermal Alcohol Content) level of the air coming through the pores in the skin, it can measure if the offender has been drinking and to what level.
@Jux
You didn't answer the question.
And yea, I'd assume it uses something similar to what a cell phone would.
"The bracelet itself transmits it's location via GPS"
You have everything right except this. GPS itself is NOT a transmission standard; it's read-only.
Most tracking systems are basically cell phones with GPS that just send coordinates instead of calls or SMS.
Damn idiots mucking up the gene pool! He's already stupid enough being a thief, now he's proven to be just plain stupid.
You can't fix stupid, but let's remove the warning labels from everything and let the problem fix itself.
I don't know what's worse - that you ripped off a quote from bash.org or that I recognised it (fail)
That quote certainly isn't from bash.org. It's ubiquity has surely reached the same level as "fail" has it not?
Technically, the first part is from Ron White, IIRC. Dunno where the second part came from.
Here's an original quote from me if it makes you feel better, "Context is a powerful thing, especially when you choose to ignore it."
I think Ron 'Tater Salad' White is funny, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's ripping quotes off bash.org. His main audience isn't exactly the most computer literate bunch.
Myb they should just place a gps tracker, and a shaped charge in those, guy robs bank, police track him down, blow his leg off, and say it was not their fault, but some company that made the faulty battery
Damn, and I thought that bracelet was just a cool parting gift the jailhouse gave me.
If we all wore GPS devices the Police could catch ALL thiefs.
Oh wait we all do, in our cell phones....
I would consider anyone sporting wingtips, beige slouch socks, and an ankle bracelet a person worth crossing the street to avoid.
LQTM, too true!
*removing sporting wingtips, beige slouch socks, and an ankle bracelet*
those are not the shoes of a criminal, the reflections are all wrong.
He he, Wombles.
Maybe he thought he was just colleting what people had left behind?
I was wondering if anyone else picked up on that :)
http://www.culttelly.co.uk/lyrics/wombles.html
I find it worse that he still performed "six or so" robberies before being caught.
I thought that too at first, but then again, they probably can't go and check the location of every single ex-con with an ankle bracelet for every single crime, just in case. They probably need to have at least some reason to think it might be him first (like finding him in a car full of stolen goods).
In case it's not clear, I'm making an argument on the basis of what is practical. I'm not making some kind of civil rights argument here.
Alright! Who tied the anklet to Mr. Rogers???
No, you've got it all wrong. Mr. Rogers was strictly a Bass Weejuns and Sperry sneaker kinda guy. God bless you Mr. Rogers. :)
Crime GeoCaching!
thats what you get from the state of Ohio....
GO BLUE
Really? What about North Carolina? How is the crime around Appalachian State these days?
He may be dumber than Elliott Spitzer, but not much
That guy is dumb I dont care what anyone says!
Hey Engadget (Josh), the expression is "brightest bulb in the BOX" not BUNCH.
What if you take it off?
And he's from Ohio? Shocking!
GO BLUE! CLASS OF '04 RULZ!
stay in school kid
Haha! I'm a 32 year old kid!
If you're going to rob a bank, maybe you should cut the thing off first?
The strap on most of these bracletes actually have wiring ran though it, so if one were to cut it, it would signal the police.
I vote that we start implanting this technology in to newborns. Then crime will cease to exist. Trust me, I'm a college student.
It takes a certain kind of fool to be a thief in the first place, but this guy is a gold-plated jackass.
Given the serious crime stats for Ohio,I doubt burglary tops the list...but they did get him. Just curious,do DWEEBS really get that big a sense of superiority pointing out short comings and errors that really don't matter to the rest of the world...???
If he'd had a proper vocational education and paid attention in class, he'd have known enough to wrap the locator in aluminum foil before embarking on his little program of liberating other people's property. Moral: Stay in school and do your homework!
Why did it take the cops 6 robberies to catch him if he had a GPS strapped to his ankle? Looks to me like there's more than one dumb ass in this story.
While the police should be commended for catching the crook eventually, the the idea is that the devise notifies authorities when the offender is not at home or work. If someone had been monitoring properly, the first six families would not have been ripped off.
Score one atta boy and six oh damn
He shoulda wrapped his head in tin foil. That would have prevented the aliens from transmitting his location to the authorities.
actually they can check the location what they lack is probably funds and man power. There are companies (or maybe it's one?) that monitor those ankle bracelets. For the guy to commit 6 robberies that happened outside of his "allowed" area is ridiculous. Who knows maybe it's only violent offenders who are 'watched' more closely. There was a case a few months back in which a young man (late teens, early 20's perhaps) who had raped a girl and beat her, got out with a bracelet and went back and killed her. The company monitoring were aware he had left his 'area' and waiting until the next day to notify police. Obviously by then it was too late.
For those who were wondering why he wouldn't just cut off the bracelet. He is on probation or he wouldn't be wearing one. He has to report to his probation officer probably once a month (minimum). In some cases once a week. If he is caught tampering with the bracelet he goes back to jail on the spot with a new felony charge.
Of course this guy is a dumb ass. The real issue isn't one criminal, the issue is what tax payers are getting for their money. Wake up, cops are bottom feeders. The choice was "fry cook" at McDonalds or law enforcement. The creative ones used McDonalds as a stepping stone for a real career. People that are paid from tax payer's funds are generally the most worthless socialist slackers in our society. They don't have to produce anything all they do is coast until retirement. Before you people get your knickers in a knot and start defending useless pigs understand that they only follow their job descriptions, which was written by worthless socialist slackers. Cops are under no obligation to protect you, not in the job description. They aren't the secret service and you aren't the pres. I watched those cowards pissing themselves at Columbine High School while children were being murdered. Look at Virginia Tech, the S.W.A.T. teams were running away from the gunfire. (Special Wimps Actually Terrified) That's the problem with our society, polluted gene pool giving us low life cops and robbers. BTW the dead guy(Mort) that used to write the "Beatle Baily" comic strip made millions by depicting the military as a bunch of bumbling fools. Worthless shade burners that couldn't make it in the real Capitalist world. Government workers equal worthless socialist slackers
well, just like your name implies....you must live under one also. You are, I am sure, one of those people who are never pleased. If the cops show up...and arrest you because you are doing something wrong...ooh right, you are paying my salary....and when you want us there to save your sorry ass....we don't get there soon enough! Isn't that just the problem. I don't know about the police officers where you live, but the men and women, of the Department where I work, stand up and fight, get shot at, and risk our lives EVERY DAY for people, yeah, even people like you......even then ones that spit on us and talk tough crap about us.....oh, did I mention...they only talk tough about police officers behind the safety of their computers or the other end of their telephones....ooh how brave you must be! And I am very sure YOU ROCK were running into all of those horrible situations....putting your life on the line for all those other people?? Right?? And your BIG BRAVE PROFFESION is what? I am very certain, you would have been running and screaming like a little girl in just about every situation and police officer has ever been in! You make me sick! I hope, one day you need a police officer.....and when they save your sorry ass......which they will (because that's what they do).....maybe, just maybe, you'll be brave enough to thank them.
Wow! Bitter much, Rock? Which is it...a police officer threw you in jail curtailing your illustrious criminal career or you tried~and failed~to join a police force or the military? As a former second generation police officer, I imagine I've known more cops than you have, and I find them, by and large, to be the hardest working, most courageous people to ever grace the planet. Some of the smartest people I've ever known were police officers; I personally have an IQ of 165, am a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Dean's List honoree and relinquished a career in meteorology to protect and serve~even ingrates like you. I'm also an Air Force veteran married to a retired soldier, so don't even get me started on the military defending your right to piss & moan and name call in anonymity.
Now all taggers know to commit only 5 burglaries
GPS systems send signals to our satellites, and the signals are reverted back to its source of origin, which in this case would be the monitoring system. Easy enough for someone with an ankle bracelet to perform crime... they simply report to the P.O. that they have a doctor's appointment or such, and have legal permission to leave the house. They must report how long it takes, miles, location, etc. to the P.O. Being that these crimes were committed in his neighborhood, they could have easily gone undetected in his travels, as enroute or coming home; it could have been on the beaten path he reported he would be taking. Maybe that's why it took 6 times to catch him. And the reader who commented about the lack of funds to continually monitor their every move is more than true. Sad. We just don't always know the details when reading a report story like this. And as a former newspaper publicist, reporting isn't what it used to be. It had honor, credibility, and if in print, could be used in a court of law as evidence. Not true today.
Well, Ladies and Gents... in today's article you met our first 2008 candidate for Dumbass of the Year Award. If you want to find out more about him, I suspect his relatives are employed at Home Depot.
Sorry, "through it."
Seems as though the cops failed here too. Why did it take 6 in HIS neighborhood before they suspected him? It is true - he is a dumbass, but not the only one in this story. After the first I would've said hey where did his bracelet show him... You can check these things out without infringing on his personal rights or any other crap someone might come back with. If he was all that worried about going back to jail do you honestly think he would've robbed the first place?! Come on people!
GPS is sent via the GPRS-- General packet radio system. It's a cell phone transmission--just like your phone. GPS units can be charged fees just like your phone--for the amount of data that is transmitted. Cell phone are nothing more than radios--on a different frequency. GPS can update a moving object every 30 seconds or so--but that is a lot of data to transmit.
That looks like a shock collar you would use on you dog. Say, that might be a good way to keep a goon like this at home. Just hit him with 120 volts if he tries to leave the house.
Dumber than dirt! *LMAO*
Come on guys, you know this guy is "special", and I am sure the law has a special place for people like this. You can write to him @ Thepaddeddroom.org