Guilty!!!!!!!
“Sentence: 12-14 Months House Arrest via GPS Monitoring Bracelet.” I’m sure everyone that has ever seen a cop show has seen this type of sentence handed down by a judge, but is it really effective at deterring crime?
The way GPS monitoring works is a bracelet is securely affixed to the offender’s ankle and activated by a court official as part of a Judaical Sentence. Once this bracelet is secure any tampering of the device triggers alarms that alerts officials and a law enforcement officers/warrant officer is dispatched. Any tampering of the device should be treated as an escaped prisoner from a secured facility-but is it always? No, in fact some alarms go ignored and the offender sometimes commits more crimes, “ In upstate New York last year, David Renz was out on parole and tampered with his GPS bracelet. A whopping 46 tamper alerts went to local authorities, but officers ignored them all. Renz went on to murder school librarian Lori Bresnahan and rape a 10-year old girl.” The following illustrates another case involving a critical failure in the GPS monitoring system, “ Two convicted sex offenders who allegedly killed and raped four women in Orange County while wearing their required GPS monitoring devices may have had additional victims.”
Of course no one can expect EVERY GPS tracking device to be monitored and enforced (wait a minute, someone better). YES, we should expect that when a GPS tracking device is applied to an offender then it is being enforced. Even if just (1) alarm is triggered for tampering, it should be followed of by the authorities.
I understand it is a difficult task with manpower restraints across the country in law enforcement which includes the over stressed prison system, however if we cant effectively monitor these devices then incarceration is the ONLY option.
Some of these offender currently being monitored by these devices range from murder and rape to less violent offences such as auto and retail thefts.
As a law enforcement official for almost 17 years, I believe we should reserve this type of GPS bracelet sentencing to the non-violet property crime offences and the violent criminals be placed in prison with absolutely NO option for a GPS monitoring program.
If this program continues, law enforcement officials must have the manpower to conduct GPS monitoring alarm trigger investigations, tamper proof GPS bracket technology, strict backing from the judicial system and the absolute authority to enforce the repercussions of GPS tampering violations resulting in revocation of this type of sentencing resulting in the remainder of the term carried out in custody!!
