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As different law enforcement divisions continue to experiment with GPS tracking as a means of keeping tabs on previously convicted criminals, they are sometimes reminded that the technology is very new, still under development, and certainly not perfect. One example of a tracking device malfunctioning led to an incorrect arrest, booking, and subsequent dismissal over a presumed parole violation.

California state and Napa County police forces are both working with GPS tracking ankle bracelets on a limited basis to locate individuals who have been previously convicted of sex offenses. In an interesting case, one man was the subject of interest by both departments and ended up with two GPS trackers—one monitored by California state police and one by Napa County police.

Other than the inconvenience of having a GPS tracker on each foot, there was no further trouble until one of the devices registered a violation during the night. Responding to the alert from the tracker they were monitoring, Napa County police arrested the man and charged him with prowling instead of abiding by his court-ordered curfew.

The GPS device used by state police, however, did not register a violation. According to its normal readings, the man was at home all night, abiding by the rules imposed on him. This conflict obviously caused quite a confusing situation, and in the end the Napa County authorities decided to dismiss the case because of lack of evidence. Later testing showed that the device showing a violation was not working correctly. Without the conflicting information provided by the correctly working tracker, the man may have been placed back in jail on the basis of a simple equipment malfunction.

Despite these occasional bumps in the road, California police remain committed to making GPS tracking an integral part of their parole and probation processes. Officials report that the benefits of easily locating potentially dangerous repeat offenders and quickly apprehending them without a large-scale search force far outweigh the possibility of a false alarm once in a while. After all, no piece of equipment is flawless, and even more traditional police operations are subject to error and sometimes result in false arrests. While Napa County has fewer than ten ex-convicts currently fitted with GPS trackers, that number is likely to rise as the bugs are worked out of the tracking system.