When Bruce Marx started goosing Garmin Marine about putting anti-theft tracking ware and pass codes into its GPS units, the first few email replies he received looked like little more than canned brushoffs — polite but indirect and unsatisfying.

He posted the message exchanges on Facebook, where skeptical friends observed that manufacturers of marine electronics probably make a lot of money when victims like Marx buy new units to replace stolen stuff. Was theft prevention really in their best interest?

That made some sense, but now it’s beginning to look like the skeptics were too skeptical. Marx, who’d been ripped off for a new $5,000 Garmin chart plotter, persisted until he was contacted (surprise!) by a Garmin executive who told him at least some of what he wanted to hear: that the electronics giant’s engineers are actively investigating ways to do what he suggested.

“I must say that I am very impressed that Garmin even responded to my inquiries, let alone provided me with the written responses that it did,” Marx told Waterfront Times.

Andrew Fairchild, Garmin's manager of marine product support and field service engineering, told him this: “We understand the issues that you are facing and we see stolen devices with some regularity filter back into our system. We are investigating options for features like the ones you are requesting in a way that will work for all applications and are looking to include them in a future update.

That might look pretty good to you and Marx liked it too, but he is a litigation attorney (maritime and other specialties) so he pushed his throttle forward, a trial lawyer pressing a witness: “Do I properly interpret your email as Garmin’s confirmation that it is taking affirmative steps to implement password/tracking systems into its GPS units?

I think a lot of people will be glad to hear this,” he wrote back to the Garmin guy, who replied: “I would say that the South Florida boat market is by far our largest market and the thefts that you are describing (and how we can prevent it) have the attention of the highest ranking members of our company.

“That said, we are actively investigating what solutions exist for the problem. We are approaching this delicately because we do not want to create a system that makes it difficult for a customer to legitimately transfer a system (as in the sale of a boat) or an individual unit to someone else.

“I can’t commit to anything beyond investigation at this point but know that your message has definitely been heard.”

There are two key sentences above — Marx’s subtle mention that people would be glad to hear of a commitment by Garmin, and the Garmin guy’s mention that the South Florida boat market is the company’s largest by far. That also means South Florida is a big market for hot Garmins. It means Marx wasn’t speaking only for himself.

There’s a good chance that someone in authority at Garmin Marine knew that after Marx’s GPS was stolen in April, he organized a crime watch group on Facebook called South Florida Marina and Dock Watch, a clearing-house for info on all sorts of boating ripoffs. Not just electronics thefts, but everything from other accessories and fishing tackle to entire boats, whether docked on the water or on trailers. Even jetskis are eligible.

Marx invited South Florida police departments to monitor the page, and some have told him they are.

The Facebook group debuted on April 26. By early June, when Marx and Garmin guy Andrew Fairchild were corresponding, it had grown past 2,000 members. By the end of the month, the count was over 4,000. It looked as if Marx’s goal, 5,000, would be reached pretty soon.

That many boating people can raise a mighty bow wave in, that’s right, Garmin’s largest market.

“I started to wonder what percentage of the GPS manufacturer's repeat business came from customers who had to replace their stolen units,” Marx said.

He doesn’t know that yet, but now it might not matter so much.

“Given today's present technology, I also started to question why GPS units could not be tracked and why pass codes were not a part of their basic operating systems. After all, since Apple has a ‘find my iPhone’ app and a pass code requirement, why wouldn’t a $5,000 GPS have the same features?

“I figured, what could it hurt to go right to Garmin myself and ask? So I did.”

Going around and about town, Marx saw bunches of lime-green bicycles on the streets. You can rent one with your cell phone and leave it parked wherever you ride it to. There’s a GPS tracker in the thing, and if you steal one it sics the cops on you.

Marx snapped pix of those and posted them for the edification of anyone thinking that what he was suggesting could not be done. He hasn’t had time yet to bug other manufacturers of marine electronics. If Garmin comes through, he probably won’t have to. The rest of the herd is likely to follow.

“I am hopeful that Garmin makes the needed changes to its units sooner, rather than later,” he told WT. “Perhaps, if all GPS manufacturers take the necessary steps to install tracking systems and pass codes, there will no longer be a demand for stolen GPS units. I think everyone would welcome that.”

You can join Marx’s watch group by going to: https://m.facebook.com/groups/788946304632934.