Gregory Venn, High Risk, Alberta CA.
Sex offender tracking sought UPDATED: 2008-08-30 02:02:15 MST Calgary looks at setting provincial first in using electronic monitoring to keep tabs on convict By BILL KAUFMANN, SUN MEDIA City police will seek a provincial first in their quest to slap an electronic monitoring device on a soon-to-be-released high-risk sex offender. Gregory Venn -- who has a history of breaking into women's homes and sexually assaulting them -- poses a risk to the public, said Sgt. Todd Zelensky, who hopes a peace bond they'll seek at an Oct. 20 court hearing will include electronic monitoring. "We actually have that condition in place for another offender, but it hasn't been implemented yet," said Zelensky. Federal legislation enacted this summer has led to a pilot project in the use of the personal surveillance equipment. Venn is to be released tomorrow from Mountain Institution in B.C., after serving a full eight-year sentence for breaking and enter and intent. His dangerous offender status -- declared in 1998 -- was overturned in 2000. He underwent three of the highest-intensity treatment programs in prison, but police said they're concerned about a medical designation of Venn, 45, as a psychopath, said Zelensky. "He's certainly the highest priority in the high-risk program ... the longest he's gone without re-offending is 90 days," he said. Once free, Venn is subject to a 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew, must report to authorities daily and abstain from alcohol. Public safety must be a priority but too many conditions and too much of a spotlight could impede Venn's safe re-integration into society, said Brad Odsen of the convict advocacy group John Howard Society of Alberta. And he said the jury's still out on the effectiveness of electronic monitoring. "The literature is still divided on how effective these things are in controlling what these people do and how accurate the readings are in real time," he said. "They could give people a false sense of security." Solicitor General spokesman Andy Weiler said the devices have been used to keep tabs on low-risk offenders, but that this case is a first for Alberta. "The Calgary police have looked at it, it sounds like they've done their homework and see it as another tool," he said. Police said three of Venn's female victims have been notified of his impending release and they'll keep an eye on him once he's free. http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/08/30/6614491-sun.html