G.P.S. devices have been installed in over 130 department vehicles according to the SUN-TIMES . The vehicles that the devices were installed in are assigned to SOS. John Risley states that the decision to purchase the devices was made long before the SOS scandal. We always knew this was coming but the scandal probably sped up the process.


"Absolutely, this could be a disciplinary tool," Risley said. "Is that a reason why we're buying them? Absolutely not."
The primary reason for the devices is to ensure officers' safety when they are on patrol, Risley said.


Risley states that if an officer is lost or injured we could find them. Who is he kidding? This is purely for the tracking of cars. If this is really just about safety then how come the first cars to receive the devices were from SOS? Granted there will be an added benefit of safety but we think that aspect of it will occur on the rarest of occasions.
What will our roll be in all this? Will they put a program on our PDT’s so we can monitor their every movement or will that be the responsibility of the watch commander? Regardless, if your logs aren’t on the up and up you now have a motivator to rethink your approach to logging your cars.
According to the article the information from the G.P.S. devices will be a treasure trove for lawyers. No more I’m following a vehicle at 25mph and the monitor indicates 70. Every pursuit now has the additional information of duration and speed ready for review by the department. This along with the future additions of cameras and hard wired mikes in the cars will certinly limit our ability to use discretion when dealing with the average copper