Menu > Settings > Location > Location Setting
Allow netowkr to detect your position

If you uncheck it, it goes away.

 

Its for GPS location. In the event you have an emergency and need 911, they can locate you.

 

Not quite true. You cannot turn off GPS for 911. Dialing 911 turns it on automatically. The crosshairs mean that GPS is enabled for applications that need to use it. it is not active (that's the satellite dish) but it is set to act automatically if an app requests it and it updates its epherma data periodically. I haven't noticed any change in battery life since leaving mine on. I don't have to hit a button or step through menus to use GPS enabled apps which annoyed me and since it sleeps (crosshairs) when not in use you shouldn't see much change in battery usage.

 

Page 6 of the user manual.

 

rtfm
:d

 

Actually, any mobile phone with power "ON" can be located now. As per Dept. Homeland Security and I believe an Executive Order post 9-11.

It has more to do than just safety/911, lol.
But it's not worth getting into here...