Following a celestial sign to find the Baby Jesus is so old school.
This Christmas season, when the Christ Child wanders away from the manger, a Tucson security company will use BlackOps GPS tracking to find the missing messiah. The service is available for all the members of the Swaddled One's entourage - Mary and Joseph, Wise Men, et cetera.
Jon Marshall, owner of the SpyGadgets LLC, learned of surveillance-equipment retailers on the East Coast offering the service and thought it would be useful to Tucson organizations in the event someone pilfers their prophet.
A GPS tracking device about the size of a small cell phone is attached to the asset - a.k.a. Baby Jesus - with double-stick tape or a magnet. The GPS signal is transmitted, via satellites, to a SpyGadgets server, and if the Anointed One or his crew is moved beyond a predesignated area, an instant alert in the form of an e-mail or text message will be sent to a designated individual or group.
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The message, Marshall said, might be something like: "Wake up! Baby Jesus is on the move."
"Then the user can log into our website, and it will update with a little dot on the map where Baby Jesus is flying off to," Marshall said.
SpyGadgets will provide hidden video cameras so Nativity caretakers can get a good look at the thief, too.
SpyGadgets will loan the equipment to churches and nonprofits for the holiday season and provide tracking services for free, but anyone can purchase a tracker for about $300, and tracking services start at $30 a month.
Nonprofits interested in the free service can go to the SpyGadgets website, www.spygadgets.com, or call the company toll free: 1-877-779-2261.
It's 10 o'clock, Tucson. Do you know where your Baby Jesus is?
Santa is coming
Another seasonal fellow, who no doubt uses GPS to guide his sleigh, is Kriss Kringle. And he will be in Tucson at 6 p.m. Monday to enjoy cookies and cocoa with local children, read to them and collect their Christmas wish lists.
Last seen in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa Claus will be at the Macy's store at Tucson Mall, 4470 N. Oracle Road, during a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For every letter Santa receives, Macy's will donate $1 to the charity.
Contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191.
