GPS--More Than Just a Device on Your Dashboard

Police Turn to Secret Weapon: GPS Device

By Ben Hubbard Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 13, 2008; A01

Someone was attacking women in Fairfax County and Alexandria, grabbing them from behind and sometimes punching and molesting them before running away. After logging 11 cases in six months, police finally identified a suspect.

David Lee Foltz Jr., who had served 17 years in prison for rape, lived near the crime scenes. To figure out if Foltz was the assailant, police pulled out their secret weapon: They put a Global Positioning System device on Foltz's van, which allowed them to track his movements.

Police said they soon caught Foltz dragging a woman into a wooded area in Falls Church.

After his arrest on Feb. 6, the string of assaults suddenly stopped. The break in the case relied largely on a crime-fighting tool they would rather not discuss.

. . . Privacy advocates said tracking suspects electronically constitutes illegal search and seizure, violating Fourth Amendment …