Recently, The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving reports of stolen trailers and vehicles. These reports seem to be increasing in frequency and to protect our community from this type of theft, the Sheriff’s office would like to take the opportunity to educate citizens about affordable GPS locator devices that are now readily available.

What is a GPS locator device? A GPS locator device is a small device about the size of a half-dollar that is built to establish a connection with a GPS satellite and report its location to users through a website or a phone app. GPS locators can be placed on nearly any item that a person might want to keep track of and are useful for finding lost items.

How can GPS locators help Law Enforcement? Oftentimes when victims of theft arrive at our office, we have only scant evidence available to attempt to recover the stolen property and apprehend the culprit. Most residents of our county do not have surveillance cameras installed and many times surveillance video that is provided to our office is too low in quality to get accurate identifying information. Placing a GPS locator on a vehicle or trailer gives the Sheriff’s Office a powerful tool to use in its recovery if it is stolen. We recommend GPS locator devices be installed on vehicles and trailers that are stored in fields or open areas or areas that are not well monitored or well-lit at night. If an item with a GPS locator installed is stolen, its location can immediately be tracked. Never attempt to recover stolen property on your own. This can be dangerous! Report the item’s location information to Law Enforcement and allow them to work to safely recover your stolen property.

One important limitation on GPS locators is that the locator must establish a connection through Bluetooth with a nearby device to relay its location. The nearby device does not have to be the owner’s device, any device with Bluetooth enabled will do. If the GPS locator cannot establish a connection with a device nearby it won’t be able to report its location to the owner of the tag.

The two most popular and reliable GPS locator options on the market today are the Apple Airtag and the Galaxy Smarttag. Make sure that if you are using an Apple iPhone or Tablet that you are purchasing the Apple Airtag and that if you are using a Samsung device that you are purchasing the Samsung Smarttag. We’ve provided links below to purchase either of them on Amazon.

• Apple Airtag sold through Amazon. https://a.co/d/fF649t9

• Samsung Galaxy Smarttag sold through Amazon. https://a.co/d/gkkXUBa

The most important part to remember when installing GPS locator devices is that you should never attempt to recover stolen property on your own. Contact Law Enforcement and provide them with all the information and allow them to work to safely recover your property.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Deputy Corrado with The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 854-3644.