Posted on 10/29/2005 9:01:02 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SANTA ANA – The traditional police practice of rounding up the usual suspects will take a 21st-century twist under a new program announced Friday that combines satellite monitoring of 40 Orange County parolees with computerized crime reports.
State parole officers using GPS devices will track the daily movements of high-risk sex offenders paroled in Orange County and compare their travels with the locations of crimes committed in the sheriff's jurisdiction.
If the parolee comes within 500 feet of a crime reported that same day, the individual's parole officer and the sheriff's investigations unit will be alerted.
The two-year pilot program will be the first in the nation to match parole movement data with local crime reports.
"When a crime occurs we spend a lot of time from an investigative standpoint going out and interviewing potential suspects. Many of them are those individuals who are released on probation or parole," Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona said.
"By using this technology we can zero in on individuals who may be a suspect in that crime."
Victims-rights advocate Deborah Courtney applauded the program, noting that the man who raped her was on parole and wore an electronic monitoring device.
"It's long overdue," she said.
Carona said he wants to expand the system to include all high-risk sex offenders, along with gang members, drug dealers and stalkers.
Eventually, Carona said, it should be extended to all of those people on probation or parole.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Heck , put 'em on politicians, judges and policemen too ..why don't they?
Almost all of us already wear an electronic monitoring device that reports our movements to central computers. It's called a cell phone, and we pay for the privilege.
That is a good point.
Making offenders carry a cell phone and then not responding in a timely fashion with a good explanation of why they are where they are might be a lot cheaper.
ping
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