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Would you recognize a parolee walking down the street? Would you know to look for the tell-tale monitoring bracelet worn on the ankle? Most of us wouldn’t, and if we did think about it, most of us would not realize how few parolees are actually ordered to wear one. For some time now, law enforcement agencies have used GPS tracking to pinpoint the location of convicted offenders out on probation, including gang members, juveniles, and pedophiles.
How Many?
You would expect that with this advanced technology, every criminal coming out on probation or parole would be ordered to wear a monitoring device for at least a time; however, that is often not the case. In just one city in one state, Omaha, Nebraska, to be precise, there were 6,357 people on probation as of the beginning of November 2011; only one of those had been ordered to wear a monitoring device. Of the 812 juveniles on probation, 43 were being monitored. Interestingly, in the more densely populated Metro area, 31 of 434 parolees are tracked through GPS, still a relatively low 7%.
Who Decides?
With so few offenders being monitored, people find themselves asking, “Who decides who wears a GPS tracking bracelet?” or “How is it decided?” In reviewing the case of an applicant for probation, either the State Parole Board or the court system decides the risk level of the parolee; those considered high risk are often outfitted with an ankle bracelet for the duration of their probation. Others who have served their time or been released on good behavior are simply monitored under the traditional probation system of checking in with a parole officer at regular intervals.
Does It Work?
One parolee called his device his “scarlet letter” and admitted that he tries to keep it concealed under his socks, but he also admits that the device is both a deterrent to repeating a crime and an encouragement to do the right thing. Another deterrent to crime is the fact that the offender often has to pay his own monitoring fees, which can be as high as $10 a day. From the point of view of a parole officer, the system marks a great improvement in efficient monitoring; the officer no longer wastes time trying to locate a parolee.

Using a computer or smart phone, the officer can pinpoint an individual for random spot checks or locate him for more involved interviews. Alerts can help lead authorities to a suspect when a crime is committed, but they can sometimes help clear a suspect when data shows that he was in fact where he was supposed to be at the time of a crime.
Though we may not be able to pick them out in society, GPS tracking devices are out there helping law enforcement keep us safe and deterring potential criminals from committing further crimes.

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By Harriette Halepis

Memphis, Tennessee, may set the standard for police patrol all across the world. The Memphis police force has announced that it plans to place GPS tracking devices on all criminals out on bail within the very near future.

Criminals in Lauderdale, Tipton, Fayette, and Shelby counties will be monitored around the clock by the Memphis police force’s “Real Time Crime Center.” In addition, criminals in Crittenden County, Arkansas, and Desoto Country, Mississippi, will also be tracked.

The grand tally of criminals that will soon be tracked in real time totals around 2,000. The total cost of implementing this system will be around $2 million. Presently, 300 convicted sex offenders in Tennessee wear GPS tracking systems – these devices have been proven to be of great use to police.

While the tracking of criminals may not prevent crimes, it will certainly provide police with clues when a crime does occur. Often, when crimes occur, police cannot pinpoint suspects right away. However, with the implementation of GPS trackers, police will be able to determine whether or not a criminal was in the area of a crime when it occurred.

This recent GPS tracking decision has many human rights activists up in arms – after all, is it just to assume that a criminal had something to do with a crime simply due to location? Then again, GPS tracking systems are so precise that police can easily tell where a criminal was when a crime was taking place.

For example, it is entirely possible that a criminal may be shopping at a hardware store when a robbery has occurred down the street from the hardware store. But, in this instance, police would have the ability to note that the criminal in question was not actually at the scene of the crime.

Of course, there is a possibility that a criminal could be shopping at that very same hardware store during a robbery, though they had nothing to do with the actual robbery. While this scenario is, indeed, bothersome, it is unlikely that this type of coincidence would occur.

Should criminals be tracked? Is GPS technology making the world a safer place? Is there any reason why criminals out on bail shouldn’t be tracked? While these questions remain unanswered at the moment, those that are curious as to the effectiveness of GPS tracking systems will keep a close eye on the new Tennessee tracking project.

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