Satellite Keeps An Eye On Sex Offenders
Satellite Keeps An Eye On Sex Offenders By DEBORAH ZIFF The Tampa Tribune Published: Aug 3, 2006 TAMPA - On Amy Foggett's computer screen, a red message alerts her that a sex offender has just stepped into a "hot zone," off-limits territory prohibited by court orders. With the flick of a finger on her keyboard, the missteps of thousands of offenders across the country are never far-off her radar. Foggett is one of a handful of employees at Pro Tech Monitoring, an Odessa-based company, one of the world's largest satellite tracking companies. With two small pieces of equipment-a flexible bracelet attached to an offenders' ankle and a pager-sized global positioning device-the company has the same power as Santa Claus: It knows who's been good or bad. Almost one year after the advent of the Jessica Lunsford Act, which requires that certain sex offenders be constantly monitored with GPS technology, the use of these devices is on the rise. "Jessica's Law" in Florida, plus similar laws that have since been enacted in at least a dozen other states, has nearly tripled business for Pro Tech Monitoring, said President and Chief Executive Steve Chapin. "There's more awareness," said Chapin, who contracts with law enforcement agencies in 25 states. "Everybody is seeking to better keep track of sex offenders." The act is named after Jessica Lunsford, the 9-year old girl who was kidnapped, raped and killed in February 2005. The new laws require that a sexual predator who violates probation must wear a global positioning system unit for the rest of his life, among other stipulations. In Florida, there are 874 offenders on GPS monitoring, up from 600 a year and a half ago. About 40 percent of those are sexual offenders. But how effective the units are in preventing sexual offenders from repeating crime is up for debate. Most experts will warn that it is not the answer, just a tool. "It's a deterrent," Chapin said. "A constant reminder that they are being watched 24/7." Don Ryce, father of kidnapped and killed 9-year old Jimmy Ryce, said he believes GPS monitoring is only helpful in deterring certain convicts. No Magic Bullet It's not effective for the most dangerous sex offenders who often act compulsively, he said. "People are sometimes looking for magic bullet," Ryce said. "That is never going to happen, no matter what kind of technology will come up." Here's how GPS units work: An impenetrable fist-sized GPS unit, which the offender must keep within 150 feet of his body at all times, is the brain of the operation. The ankle bracelet, a constant accessory for a monitored offender, communicates with the unit to ensure he never strays too far from the GPS device. The box sends a periodic signal to a call center, where a probation officer can track offenders' movements by looking at a trail of colorful dots on a satellite map. Many offenders have "hot zones," which they cannot enter. They include a school or a victim's home. They often have strict schedules, allotting them a certain amount of time to travel to and from work and a curfew when they must be safely in their homes. When an offender violates any rules, a signal is sent to the operations' center, where the green dots signifying a "good" location on offenders' maps turn to red, meaning "bad." Though Foggett and the other call center workers at Pro Tech are alerted each time a GPS unit sends an error signal, they don't contact offenders directly. Rather, they assist local law enforcement agents and probation officers who also monitor the offenders and enforce the GPS violations. It's Not Cheap This constant monitoring does not come cheap. Pro Tech monitoring charges $8.90 per day, per offender.At that rate, the program costs the state more than $2.8 million per year. John Couey, charged with killing Jessica Lunsford, , was a convicted sex offender who had not reported that he lived across the street from her family. After he fled, it took almost a month to find him. Pro Tech Monitoring played a role in that effort, helping law enforcement officers to rule out GPS-wearing suspects who were not in the area at the time of the crime, Chapin said. Jessica Lunsford's father, Mark Lunsford, said Couey wore a GPS unit until the November before the crime. He believes the devices could prevent such crimes. "He played by the rules when he had it on," he said. "The day they took it off, that's when they lost him." Don Ryce is only cautiously optimistic about the use of GPS monitors to reign in sex crimes. "We need a lot of tools to be able to fight this," he said. "Statistical evidence demonstrates we have not solved this problem, or even come close, in the last 11 years since Jimmy was killed." Reporter Julie Pace and photographer Crystal L. Lauderdale contributed to this report. Reporter Deborah Ziff can be reached at dziff@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7203. http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBMSNJLEQE.html