When Does GPS Tracking Fail?
GPS Tracker GPS Tracking Systems News Vehicle TrackingPublished November 15, 2009 at 9:21 am 1 CommentBy Greg Bartlett
California’s Inspector General just released a report rebuking his state’s parole agencies, specifically their management of the GPS tracking system designed to keep sex offenders in line. However, while some media outlets have claimed the GPS tracking itself is faulty, the report makes clear that the technology was simply misused, or rather, underused, by some law enforcement.
GPS Tracking & Police Departments
The failure was brought to light by a recent and highly publicized kidnapping case. From the late 1980s, convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido was under surveillance by federal and state officials and subject to visits and interviews by parole officers. However, in 1991 he and his wife allegedly kidnapped 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard and held her captive for 18 years, subjecting the girl to horrific abuse. Thankfully, Jaycee managed to get to safety this past summer and was finally reunited with her family. Both Garrido and his wife were arrested shortly thereafter. What is baffling to some is how Garrido was able to hide this activity from his parole officers, who were supposed to have conducted surprise visits and frequent checkups. Many too are angered that Garrido was released from prison in 1988 after serving only 11 years of his 50 year sentence.
According to the report, parole officers failed to classify Garrido as a dangerous offender, despite his previous rape conviction. When Garrido was fitted with a GPS tracking ankle bracelet, his case officers largely ignored violations of his traveling restrictions. In fact, 276 violations were logged by the GPS tracking system, but none were actually investigated. Officials say this was because Garrido was registered under the “passive” GPS tracking system reserved for low-level offenders, but clearly his behavioral profile was misjudged.
The report claims that the GPS tracking system gave California parole officers a “false sense of security” that allowed them to ignore warnings sent by Garrido’s bracelet. According to officials linked with the agency, violations of traveling regulations are widespread, and rules are simply not enforced. California law requires each of the state’s 7,000 sex offenders to be fitted with a GPS tracking device, but if these individuals have discovered that they can disregard moving restrictions without penalty, what good is the technology doing anyone?
GPS tracking systems are only worthwhile if the location data they provide is acted upon. Fortunately, the report recommends that California begin to do just that. Violations will now be penalized, and parole officers will more closely monitor offenders. It’s just sad to see such a horrific case was required to jolt some authorities into action.
As a retired Police Officer it is my thinking that the reason this sicko was able to pull this kidnapping off for so long had nothing to do with the GPS system. It was because the Sex Offender Registry (SOR) is so inclusive, that it has offenders on it that should NOT be listed at all. If the public and the police are to use the SOR it should only list those sex offenders that are high risk to re-offend. In this case he should have been a high risk, but had the State used empirical based testing they would have had a better idea if he was a high risk. It is time for us to rethink all of these sex offender laws that are not protecting anyone and causing Law Enforcement to run around checking on 1,000’s of offenders.