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By Greg Bartlett

It seems like every week in the news there’s another story about someone who was killed by a former boyfriend or husband, or sometimes a girlfriend or wife. Many times victims even had an order of protection or a restraining order filed against their ex, but a piece of paper often won’t stop the offender.

Back in 2008, Cindy Bischof was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend, Michael Giroux. He had violated the order of protection she had taken against him at least two times, and even though he spent some time in jail for the second occasion, he shot her after he was released and then killed himself. As is often the case, the order of protection escalated the violence rather than stopped it.

In Indianapolis, 3 women were killed within the last few months by their husbands or ex-husbands, all of which had protective orders filed against them. Another woman reports feeling fearful for over a year because her former husband had been stalking her despite her order of protection.

Pieces of paper alone, such as orders of protection and restraining orders, can’t protect the victim. Recently, advocates have encouraged the use of GPS monitoring to help ensure the safety of domestic violence victims. But can these electronics really do the job?

Evidence indicates that they can at least help. No, GPS monitoring cannot actually stop an offender from killing someone, but it can keep track of the offender’s location at all times. If the offender goes within certain areas, such as the victim’s workplace or neighborhood, both police and the victim will be alerted. Police can pick up the offender for entering restricted areas, and since the victim is aware that the offender is in the area, she can take precautionary measures to ensure that he doesn’t find her.

Giving a domestic violence victim safety and security involves more than a piece of paper. GPS monitoring allows the victim to be aware if the offender is in the area and to have the opportunity to escape. It will also alert police if the offender is attempting to threaten the victim by entering restricted areas.

While GPS monitoring cannot physically stop a domestic violence offender, it can protect victims and provide them with a layer of security that an order of protection doesn’t have. For some domestic violence victims, it may even be the difference between life and death.