GPS Ankle Bracelet Identifies Home Intruder

GPS tracking ankle bracelets have been in use by police departments for a number of years now. The goal is to prevent criminal offenders from committing further crimes by monitoring their movements using a GPS-equipped device that locks around the subject’s ankle. The devices serve both to deter the wearer from committing an additional crime and also to track their movements if a violation does occur.

CC Image courtesy of My Photo Journeys via Flickr

The devices are not fool-proof, and there have been cases where a parolee has managed to remove the device and disappear from police surveillance. However, most criminals are smart enough not to commit crimes with the device still intact. Most, but not all.

In May of this year, a Duluth, MN woman awoke to the sound of someone moving around in her home. A masked man entered her bedroom, demanded cash, and hit her with a vase. He then stole her phone, purses, and jewelry. The astonishing part of the story is that police found the suspect using his GPS-enabled ankle bracelet. The monitoring company confirmed that the suspect in question was at the woman’s home during the time of the robbery. Police obtained a warrant to search the man’s house where they found items that were allegedly stolen from the victim’s home. The suspect reportedly cut the bracelet off after the robbery.

Using GPS Ankle Bracelets To Prevent Crimes

Most of us shake our heads at the thought of someone attempting to commit a burglary while wearing a GPS tracking device. And the truth is that most criminals wouldn’t do it. That’s why the devices have become widely used to assist in law enforcement, especially for parolees. Many convicted offenders have restrictions on their behavior once they are released from prison, particularly those who were convicted of violent crimes and who may be a threat to others.

GPS tracking ankle bracelets are about the size of a large watch and provide real time data about the movements of the wearer. Some can even sense alcohol and drug use. The devices have been used to monitor released offenders in circumstances like these:

Domestic violence—If an offender is considered to pose a severe threat to his victim after hisrelease from prison, he may be required to wear an ankle bracelet. The bracelet helps ensure that he does not violate any restraining orders that may be in place. It can also send an alert both to the victim and to police if the wearer crosses a boundary, giving enough advance warning to prevent further harm to the victim.

Early parole—Overcrowded prisons have created a crisis situation in some states, leading to early parole programs for certain offenders. These offenders are often placed under a form of house arrest in which they are required to wear ankle bracelets so that police can monitor their activities remotely.

Violent crimes—Other violent crimes such as armed robbery, sex offenses, and injury to another person may result in a released prisoner being required to wear an ankle bracelet monitoring device.

The Limitations of Ankle Bracelets

Unfortunately, ankle bracelets are not fool-proof, which has led some critics to call for stricter measures. Criminals can sometimes cut the bracelets off, although doing so will send an immediate alert to the police. It can still give the offender enough of a start to escape or to commit an additional crime. As in the case of the Duluth robbery, people can commit crimes while wearing the bracelets. Particularly in cases of domestic violence offenders or sex offenders, the threat of prison may not be enough to keep the offender from committing additional crimes.

Despite these limitations, however, GPS tracking bracelets have proved helpful to cash-strapped departments whose prisons don’t have enough space to accommodate all offenders. Until a better solution can be devised, the bracelets do a better job than traditional house arrest and parole situations.

Taking a Bite Out of Crime

Although the Duluth man committed a robbery and injured a homeowner while wearing his ankle bracelet, the good news is that he was almost immediately apprehended and brought into custody. His charges include first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, and first-degree assault. Hopefully it will be some time before he’s out on the streets again, and perhaps this time he will have learned his lesson.

GPS tracking data gives police an edge over the criminals who try to defy the law. It allows better monitoring to be performed even with limited personnel. Alerts can be set to go off if the wearer crosses a boundary or removes the device, and gives police an exact location of the offender if something does go wrong.

No crime solution is perfect, but thanks to GPS tracking bracelets, fewer convicted offenders get away with additional attempted criminal behavior.

GPS Ankle Bracelet Identifies Home Intruder