By Eric Gonzalez, Executive Director, Inmate Telephones/Intel Tools/Training
GTL’s Location IQ® is a powerful intelligence application that pinpoints the location of a called party’s mobile device that receives calls from an inmate in a correctional facility.
This is done in strict adherence with sensitive carrier privacy policies.
Using powerful, accurate carrier tower and GPS-based location services, Location IQ pinpoints a called party’s latitude/longitude coordinates and proximity to a facility utilizing all the major carrier networks and secondary carriers the called party may be on or the type of device they are using.
Through the inmate telephone platform’s graphical user interface, investigators can see the location of the phone that was called and accepted in a readily accessible and usable format.
(Members of GTL discuss data security in the corrections environment. Courtesy of GTL and YouTube)
As an added control feature, Location IQ can be configured to establish a defined perimeter around the correctional facility—calls to phones within that perimeter can be blocked from connecting or can be allowed to connect while being monitored and recorded in real time by investigators.
Investigators can combat criminal activity, such as attempts at escape or at bringing contraband into a facility, by blocking calls between inmates and parties near the correctional facility, many of which are in remote areas.
GTL recognizes strict privacy guidelines concerning location-based services and requires a double opt-in from the end user receiving a call before the geo location of that end user’s device is captured.
This means that users must repeatedly confirm that they agree to have the geo location of their mobile devices captured.
Other providers may not have the same safeguards—a sheriff was recently charged for misusing a competitor’s system to locate cellphones without legal approval and examining information about other law enforcement officers.
Last week, on Arizona Public Media, a live demonstration was made available and GTL never captures or provides the geo location of a mobile device without the appropriate opt-in by the end user.
(Hear from Law Enforcement & how it is helping them to do their job, stay safe & generate revenue for the correctional facility. Courtesy of Arizona Public Media and YouTube)
GTL’s systems require a system GUID that ties the request of a cell phone location directly to a call where the end user consented via a double opt-in when accepting the call.
GTL strives to find tools that will make our clients successful in their investigative endeavors and will soon provide enhancements to its location-based services that expand the capabilities of this powerful tool.
We offer solutions that promote safety—the safety of correctional officers, the safety of inmates, the safety of the public, and the safety of facilities as institutions.
