GPS system for prisoner vans stalled, but working for snowplows

As New Brunswick's Justice Department continues to struggleto get its GPS system operating, another government department,Transportation and Infrastructure, has used the devices for years.

A GPS monitoring system was set up to track the province's fleet of snowplows in 2012.

Essentially a black box for vehicles, GPS monitoring tracks vehicle speed, sudden acceleration, sudden braking and even mechanical problems.

Playing catchup, the Justice Department installed GPS devices in its fleet of sheriffs' vans early last year.

The system was turned on in July, but "a significant number of technical issues were reported" immediately afterwardand the devices had to be deactivated,according to a statement from Justice Minister StephenHorsman.

There was some technical problems and we're still working on those.- Stephen Horsman, Justice minister

The release this week of a dashcamvideo allegedly showing a provincial Corrections van travelling at an estimated150 km/h raises new questions about the lack of monitoring of government vehicles transporting prisoners and detainees.

"There was some technical problems and we're still working on those," Horsman said this week, "What's happening is they're miscalculating the speeds."

Horsman could not say exactly when he expects the system to be in operation.

It is unclear why GPS technology is working for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure,yet stalled at Justice.

Technology not new

GPS fleet-tracking technology is not new.DPL, a Rothesay-based company,has offered the service for a decade, and now tracks 6,000 vehicles, including trucks, bulldozers, and even boats on a minute-by-minute basis.

DPL product managerJeff Northrupsays almost anything in the operation of a vehicle can be tracked, including "how much distance has been driven, what the voltage of the battery's at, maximum speed based on the GPS."

"It tells you what your fuel level is, what your temperatures are at. Any trouble codes. It really tells you basically everything that's going on with a vehicle," said Northrup.

DPL's "TrackAll" GPS device costs about $250 and is simply plugged into a port under the dash.

There is a monthly fee for monitoring and sending alert messages via text or email. In some cases, the fee is as little as $15 per vehicle, said Northrup.

The vast majority of the company's customers are in the United States, he said.