A company in Mesa, AZ was able to successfully nab workers who were stealing thousands of dollars in insulation.

According to police reports, a worker and an unnamed accomplice worked for an insulation company in Mesa, AZ.  The worker called into his place of employment saying that he needed a ride. The accomplice was given permission to use a company vehicle to pick up the employer up and bring him to work.

The truck the accomplice used had 79 bags of insulation stored in it. Each bag of insulation cost the company an estimated $100. When the truck returned to work, there were only eight bags remaining. According to court records, the insulation that the two men stole was valued at more than $15,000, and they may be responsible for even more thefts.

According to police, the Mesa insulation company used GPS tracking to pinpoint the location of the truck. They noticed that the truck made a stop at locations in Phoenix. After obtaining a warrant, the police located 71 bags at the location. According to the company, the retail value of the insulation that was stole was an estimated $15,000.

After the police arrested the worker, he reportedly told the police that he and his accomplice sold the insulation for $1,280 and divided the money between themselves.

After the company reviewed the tracking history of the truck’s GPS device, it was discovered that Vidales and his accomplice stopped at the location where they sold the stolen insulation four times over a period of three months. Upon further investigation, other locations where stolen insulation was stored were also discovered. Both Vidales and his accomplice were at these locations a total of 21 times.

Vidales has been charged with theft and trafficking property stolen from the insulation company. There is no report of the charges that his accomplice is facing. The police are conducting further investigations to determine if the two men are, in fact, responsible for the theft and trafficking of more stolen property.

Thanks to the GPS tracking device that the truck was outfitted with, the Mesa insulation company was able to successfully catch the two alleged crooks and locate the property that they stole.

Many areas of the U.S., particularly the midwestern and eastern regions, have been facing a deer overpopulation problem.  This burgeoning of deer extends to Oak Bay, B.C., where researchers areas are attempting to humanely address the issue by running a new study to track the movements of the nuisance animals with GPS tracking collars.

Approximately 20 wild deer are to be fitted with the tracking devices. Additionally, surveillance cameras are to be placed around the area in an attempt to ascertain the scale of the population. To date, the only evidence of the movements of the animals is anecdotal as deer are timid creatures who’re difficult to spot.

Urban deer present a huge issue throughout B.C. and here in the U.S. as they’re well known to destroy lawns, leap fences and dig up flower beds throughout the year. They are also responsible for deer-vehicle collisions. In fact, the insurance carrier State Farm revealed that drivers in West Virginia top the list in terms of drivers colliding with a deer (or elk or moose), where one out of every 41 drivers in the state had a auto/deer collision claim in 2016.

A wildlife group comprised of zoologists, science advisers from Camosun College and the University of Victoria as well as wildlife biologists, and educators has come together to see what can be done.

The team from the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society has plans to set up 40 motion sensor cameras throughout the district to track the deer and to see where they’re most commonly found. There should be four cameras installed per square kilometer. A Camosun College science adviser is building a grid of common areas of deer traffic so cameras will be placed in the best high traffic locations possible.

The deer have been an issue for homeowners in the area for many years. However, some of the attempts to reduce their population have not been met with much support. For example, in 2015, a plan to cull the deer was rejected by many.

As an alternative, the district planned to put the deer on birth control. This move was eventually postponed when the provincial government ordered further research to be conducted.

$40,000 has been allocated to the data gathering project, with the current study being the first phase of the population reduction plan. The next part involves pushing the reduction efforts forwards. This is most likely to be carried out through again attempting to introducing birth control into the population. The team hopes to use a long-term immuno-contraceptive that will be developed to work for as long as four or five years. Thus, providing a humane and efficient way of keeping population numbers under control.

As criminals become more tech-savvy, law enforcement and businesses alike are beginning to adopt more high-tech tools to help fight crime. These are some of the more interesting crime-fighting tech tools available for use today.

1) Scent Preservation Kits

Now we have the technology to use scents to track missing people. Especially useful in tracking elderly patients with dementia or children with autism, they can technically be used on anyone who has the forethought to utilize the technology.

The scent preservation kit is simple to use and only involves unscrewing the jar, using the gauze pads inside to wipe their scent from under their arms, then storing the gauze pads in the jars until a time if or when the scent is needed to aid in tracking.

2) GPS Tracking

While most people think of GPS tracking when it comes to tracking cars and trucks that may have been stolen, the benefits and usefulness of GPS tracking extends far beyond vehicles.

Banks are using GPS tracking technology in bait money to help track thieves, shipping and container companies are planting GPS devices on high-value items to deter theft (and track stolen merchandise), pharmacies are using it to catch prescription drug thieves, and police and emergency vehicles are using GPS tracking in a number of ways, including being able to quickly navigateto scenes where crimes are in progress.

3) Drones

Drones have been used for a variety of purposes over the years. One new purpose is to aid law enforcement in the evidence gathering process. But, there’s even more to it than that. During active events, drones can offer an overhead view of crime scenes and help to provide extra eyes on the situation to direct law enforcement where to safely go helping to prevent escalation in many situations and preserving lives of law enforcement and civilians alike.

4) Floroscein

This new chemical is more sensitive for detecting blood than luminol and safer to use – making it an effective tool for tracking blood, even after several cleanings, and investigating crimes.

5) Gunshot Detection Systems

Not only is the ability to detect gunshot in certain areas a significant crime deterrent for gun crimes, it is also an important safety tool – allowing law enforcement and emergency vehicles to respond more rapidly to the exact locations where gunshots were recorded.

Technology is making the world a safer place one new discovery at a time. These high-tech tools can aid local law enforcement in fighting crime, investigating crime, and formulating the appropriate responses when crimes occur. Plus, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Just imagine what new tech tools are just over the horizon for fighting crime!