NCJ Number
131663
Date Published
1990
Length
0 pages
Annotation
News stories from each of the three network TV stations in Indianapolis, Ind., describe the characteristics and use of the Mobile Electronic Tracking System (METS) which enables police to monitor electronically the movements and location of a stolen vehicle.
Abstract
The newsclips use interviews with Indianapolis police and METS representatives as well as video shots of the equipment to portray the nature and use of the system. Indianapolis is the pilot city for the METS demonstration. Under METS, a transmitter is in a hidden location in the car. When leaving the car, the owner activates the transmitter and then turns it off upon re-entering the car. Should a thief take the car while the transmitter is activated, the movement and location of the car is tracked both by a portable receiver in a police car and a computerized map at central police headquarters. A METS representative notes that the system is 95 percent effective in finding stolen cars; it brings the tracking vehicle to within 100 feet of the stolen vehicle which then permits visual observation of the vehicle. METS is expected to be on the market in early 1991. It costs $595 initially, and a $10 to $15 monitoring fee is charged.