The GPS jewelry is meant to prevent repeat domestic violence and to catch parole violations by convicted abusers.
By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published March 10, 2004
TAMPA - Late last month, a Land O'Lakes man with a history of domestic violence went to his girlfriend's Tampa home and held her at gunpoint before shooting at her and their 3-year-old son as they tried to flee.
The two escaped unharmed, and the boyfriend fatally shot himself.
But the standoff could have ended tragically for the girlfriend and the toddler, much like domestic confrontations that resulted in 17 deaths in Hillsborough County in 2002.
Now, the Spring of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are hoping a high-tech ankle bracelet will stop repeat offenders from committing more domestic violence - or help catch them when they do.
The Spring, the busiest of Florida's 40 certified domestic abuse shelters, is pursuing a $1.5-million federal grant that includes $160,000 for 30 satellite-based monitors to constantly track the movements of those wearing them.
Other Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies, including Pinellas County, already use the satellite-based Global Positioning System to track criminal offenders on work-release or probation.
The Hillsborough initiative is unique because it specifically targets those with a history of domestic violence, and it's spearheaded by a group that shelters victims and their children.
Final approval of the grant, part of President Bush's $21-million effort to establish Family Justice Centers in 12 U.S. communities, won't be announced until September.
But officials with the Spring and the Sheriff's Office are confident of their chances. So much so, the Sheriff's Office is already pursuing an additional federal grant to buy another 30 bracelets.
"We're anticipating now that we'll get this," said Sheriff's Chief Deputy David Gee. "We're very excited."
The Sheriff's Office would coordinate the monitoring and assign a deputy to work from the Spring, Gee said. After consulting with the Sheriff's Office and the Spring, the State Attorney's Office would ask judges to make the most worrisome, dangerous domestic abusers wear the bracelets upon their release.
Those wearing bracelets could be prohibited from certain areas, like a victim's home or place of work. It would be up to the judge to set the length of time the monitoring would be required.
Officials from the Spring concede it will be a challenge identifying which offenders get the limited supply of bracelets. But advocates say the thought of Big Brother constantly watching will keep abusive spouses and significant others in check.
"I think it will be a very, very good thing," said Cathy Stone, chief development officer for the Spring. "We can send a message to the offender that somebody is monitoring whether they're doing their part."
The initiative comes as more and more law enforcement agencies across the nation turn to GPS in their efforts to reduce crime and free up jail space.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has a pilot GPS program with VeriTracks that allows about 60 inmates on work-release to go home at night with an ankle bracelet and a small box that records their movements. The GPS system uses "passive monitoring," meaning information on the inmate's travels is downloaded every 24 hours to a central database.
Another 30 bracelets are used for Pinellas defendants who have been released from jail on their own recognizance but have to return for a court date. Those ankle bracelets use "active monitoring," which tracks the defendants constantly. Both versions of the VeriTracks system correlate the bracelet data with crime reports, so that sheriff's officials can see whether crimes were committed where the monitored defendants roamed.
Pinellas sheriff's Cpl. Sue Phibbs, with the crime analysis section, said the agency eventually wants to target domestic violence and sex offenders.
Last month, the Florida House heard from VeriTracks representatives, who want the state to invest in a $35-million GPS package that would track more than 10,500 serious criminal offenders upon their release.
Gee said he predicts more and more law enforcement agencies will use GPS monitoring in the future, as jails grow crowded and the public grows tired of hearing about recently released inmates violating probation and committing additional crimes.
Tampa defense attorney Rick Terrana said GPS monitoring "is a wonderful thing," but he cautioned that the systems are only as effective as the personnel behind them.
"If you don't have the man power to keep track of the data at all times, it's a waste of money," Terrana said. "It doesn't do anyone any good if a guy kills his girlfriend, and then the next day the police discover, "Oh yeah, he was there."'
