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By Greg Bartlett

Domestic violence victims, usually women, will sometimes put up with a lot before they go to the police and file a complaint or request an order of protection. Unfortunately, even with the abuser in prison or ordered not to come near a victim, the victim still isn’t safe. In Massachusetts, for example, 25% of its 30,000 domestic violence restraining orders are violated. Many times the abuser returns and injures or kills the victim, typically at the victim’s home or place of employment.

A few years ago, in a small South Carolina town, a woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend. After being released from prison for beating her and threatening to kill her, he arrived at her workplace, held her hostage for a few hours, and then shot her. A woman in Texas was killed by her ex-husband in 2006 when he ignored the restraining order and came to her house, shot her 20 times, and then killed himself.

Unfortunately, prisons can’t hold all domestic violence offenders, and some of them could safely be released into the community so that they can continue to provide the alimony or child support that the victim needs. But courts can’t always identify the “safe” offenders to release from the “unsafe” ones, and the release of the wrong offender could mean injury or death to the victim.

GPS tracking devices are becoming more and more popular as a means of protecting domestic violence victims. One woman in Massachusetts says the only reason she and her children are alive is because of GPS tracking, and an Illinois woman claims the same thing. With GPS tracking devices, police can track domestic violence offenders’ every move and will be automatically alerted if an offender goes into restricted areas, such as a victim’s home and workplace, or a school her children attend. Police will be dispatched to pick up the offender for violating the order not to come within those areas.

Even more importantly, GPS tracking devices will let the victim know if the offender comes within her safe zones. She’ll be able to take necessary precautions before he gets there, whether it is warning school or daycare personnel, fleeing, or locking all the doors and waiting for the police to arrive.

Since the victim can track the offender’s movements with GPS tracking devices, she doesn’t have to wonder if he’ll suddenly appear and start her nightmare all over again. She’ll be able to have peace of mind because she knows where he is.