News and Politics | July 23, 2008 | 23 comments

US: Pennsylvania to GPS sex offenders

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_re_us/tracking_sex_offenders

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J_Jammer
"Pennsylvania's auditor general wants his state to join the estimated two dozen others that track some released sex offenders with global positioning satellite technology.

Auditor General Jack Wagner on Tuesday urged state lawmakers to require at least five years of GPS monitoring for sex offenders who do not comply with Megan's Law, which requires them to register their address with state police upon their release from prison.

The law also should be revised to mandate similar tracking of sexually violent predators whose victims are children immediately after they are released, Wagner said.

Wagner, who is seeking re-election this year to a second four-year term, previously criticized the state's Megan's Law enforcement in a 2006 audit that found state police had not verified the whereabouts of hundreds of sex offenders.

State law currently allows, but does not mandate, the use of sex offender GPS monitoring by county probation authorities and the state Board of Probation and Parole.

At least 24 other states have laws requiring GPS monitoring of certain sex offenders, and 14 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties are using GPS tracking for that purpose, Wagner said.

Gov. Ed Rendell's administration had no immediate comment on Wagner's recommendations. Spokesmen for Rendell and the state police said their offices needed to evaluate them.

Republican Sens. Jane Orie and John Rafferty said they are planning to introduce legislation that would require wider use of GPS tracking. They said they hope a bill will be considered when the Legislature returns to Harrisburg in the fall.

The recommendations were included in a report Wagner released at a Capitol news conference. Auditors determined in early June that the state lost track of more than 900 sex offenders, or about 10 percent of all registered sex offenders, based on apparently outdated addresses in Pennsylvania's Megan's Law registry.

"This is very disturbing to me ... and should be to every Pennsylvanian, and quite frankly, is unacceptable," Wagner said.

GPS systems allow tracking of offenders using a monitor attached to an ankle bracelet and a small tracking device that offenders must carry with them whenever they leave the house. The device transmits information that allows authorities to view an offender's location on a computerized map.

The probation and parole board is preparing to embark in the coming weeks on a pilot program to test the equipment of eight GPS vendors, spokeswoman Sherry Tate said. She did not know where the testing would be performed or how many sex offenders would be involved.

A previous test program that ran between October 2005 and June 2006 was riddled with problems, such as lost or blocked signals, she said. "We found the technology was not sufficient at the time," Tate said.

Counties that use GPS tracking typically pay for it by charging sex offenders one-time hookup fees of $30 to $50 and daily rates of $5 to $20 to cover the equipment costs, Wagner said."

If you're not from the United States, what does your country do with sex offenders that you find reasonable?
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23 comments // US: Pennsylvania to GPS sex offenders

  • melberta
    • 0
      melberta  

    • I'm not sure if GPS is the answer. People may find a way to lock into the person's location,follow them find them and take the law into their own hands. The person may not take the tacking device with them when they leave the house, Too many unknowns for my taste.

    • 4 years ago
  • edbr
    • 0
      edbr  

    • i'm just curious about billy, 18 who 'did' his girlfriend when she was 17 or 16, (ok, ok, most states have the grace period, but NOT all.) and he ends up being a 'tracked' sex offender for the rest of his days.

      this WILL get out of control. and if people really want to be truly 100% safe, all the time, (well 98%) just build a fortress and never leave it.

    • 4 years ago
  • vitalmaggi
    • 0
      vitalmaggi  

    • "...require at least five years of GPS monitoring for sex offenders who do not comply with Megan's Law..."

      Totally agree to that, but, a GPS system isn't going to save people from sex offenders. Every offender could have a victim sitting pretty across the street from their homes which isn't necessarily out of their legal limits.

      On top of that its costly to the county.

    • 4 years ago
  • kewal91
  • Nefri
    • 0
      Nefri  

    • America is justifying keeping tabs on every one. No one can live off the grid because our overlords want total control. Sorry, was that too much? Its like this, they take something seemingly excusable, like tacking sex offenders, and will apply it to everyone in due time.

    • 4 years ago
  • vitalmaggi
  • Juas
  • Bahlkris
    • 0
      Bahlkris  

    • here is my thing, while I am ALL for punishing people who commit crimes and rasing awareness....

      But if a guy goes to prison for a sexual crime and serves out his entire sentance, ergo he paid his debt and laid out by the law... are we really just in putting this device on him?

      SURE, it makes ME feels better knowing where they all are. But is it really right?

      And if we are willing to do this with sex offenders, then why not people who have done time for violent crimes or aggrivated crimes?

    • 4 years ago
  • malathion
    • 0
      malathion  

    • you can conceal it if it's on an ankle . it needs to be around their necks , and have a shock feature just like an electric fence when they go off limits .

    • 4 years ago
  • NoGodsNoMasters
    • 0
      NoGodsNoMasters  

    • Fuck'em......they want to violate someone then they deserve what they get. I live in PA and believe me, this decision will go over very well with the general public. I'm for it. It's either that or we start cuttin off their balls, I'd rather not get to that point.

    • 4 years ago
  • Bahlkris
  • alicynx
    • 0
      alicynx  

    • Unfortunately the ones who follow the law and wear their tracking units aren't the ones we need to worry about.
      I live within one mile of a halfway house for sex offenders, and I get notices every time someone new is released to the area. These are the guys (and gals) that I see on a regular basis, and honestly have no irrational fears about. Its the ones listed in the local sherrif's online database with 'no address', 'living in car', and the like that make me lie awake at night over. The bigger problem that just isn't being addressed is that the public's stigma placed on these guys ruins them completely.
      Now I'm not all for totally reintroducing them into normal society, but at the same time if they can't get a job, a home, or anything close to a regular routine in their lives, how can we expect them to reintegrate into society and leave their past behind them? Its a catch-22, really, and until we find a way for them to reintegrate, there's no point releasing them at all.

    • 4 years ago
  • Kewara81
    • 0
      Kewara81  

    • This is about as ethical as the death sentence. People are considered sex offenders for some pretty ridiculous reasons and often never convicted of a sex crime.

    • 4 years ago
  • damnneargenius
  • Mark701
    • 0
      Mark701  

    • My brothers work involves tracking sex offenders with this technology. It's not as easy as one would think. Apparently alarms are triggered when the offender goes someplace he/she isn't supposed to. This requires him to contact the offender and find out why they are in an off limits area. He said alarms get triggered all day long for both valid and invalid reasons. When you are responsible for tracking over a thousand offenders, it can get pretty crazy.

    • 4 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • AceHardchester
    • 0
      AceHardchester  

    • Will more advanced car GPS devices actually alert you to the presence of sex offenders? Because that would be great.

      "Roger Harrison in two hundred feet."

    • 4 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • petarro
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • petarro:

      Is it mostly someone that parent knows...like a friend or a relative? Someone that they'd allow near their child unsupervised?

      I don't think, though I could be wrong, there is much a parent can do if a person wants to take their child and do such. The parent can't always be there. The only thing a parent can do is instill into their child the means to not trust anyone that tells them "this is a game".

    • 4 years ago
  • smizzle1
    • 0
      smizzle1  
    • petarro:

      i don't think sex offenders walk around with signs on their foreheads stating they are sex offenders. Get real buddy....Do you even have any first hand knowledge about this subject? Ever work with victims, their families or the offender themselves?
      J jammer is right. The are most commonly people that the children or family know. Can you fathom that your father or mother would sexually abuse a child or your own child? A lot of people can't seem to accept that.

    • 4 years ago
  • kewal91
  • cmj05
    • 0
      cmj05  

    • I think overall this is a good idea. We need to do something, especially in Florida where I just moved from. I know it's not perfect but it's a start.

    • 4 years ago
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