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By Greg Bartlett

The news is often full of stories of individuals being killed by someone against whom they have an order of protection. Domestic violence is not, unfortunately, always unusual enough to garner a headline, but when an individual obtains an order of protection against the abuser and is later killed – despite the order of protection – the case often draws local and possibly national outrage. The victim had an order of protection. The victim was supposed to be safe.

GPS and Personal Protection

Unfortunately, an order of protection is just a piece of paper. Many times offenders will ignore the order completely and return to injure or kill the victim. A few years ago, a woman in my hometown was held hostage in her workplace for a few hours before her former boyfriend, a man whom she’d feared so much she obtained an order of protection against, killed her. In 2007, a Maryland woman received a protective order against the father of her children, only to be killed by him a few weeks later.

GPS monitoring is one solution that many people are promoting to protect domestic violence victims. GPS devices can’t actually stop an offender, but they are more effective than a piece of paper. The units are usually attached to offenders’ ankles, and the probation or parole officer can use the device to find out exactly where the offender is. Should the offender remove the device, the probation or parole officer will be immediately notified and will issue an arrest warrant.

Even more importantly, GPS monitoring allows police to set up boundaries which the offender is not allowed to cross. These boundaries usually include the victim’s home, workplace, and her children’s school. Should the offender enter these safe zones, the GPS device will notify the probation and parole officer as well as the victim. If the offender stays inside the zones, an arrest warrant will be issued and police sent to the offender’s location – all within a few minutes.

So true, GPS monitoring cannot stop an offender, but it can protect the victim better than a piece of paper can. If the offender enters a safe zone, the victim can immediately leave until it is safe to return. Furthermore, she knows that if the offender stays in her safe zone, police will be on the way within minutes. There isn’t a delay between violation and arrest, a delay which could cost the victim her life. GPS monitoring can actually ensure that this time, the victim is kept safe.