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News & Noteworthy © ---
Special report 6-25-07 |
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The value of GPS and what does it protect?
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6-25-2007 New York:
Tracking with a laptop |
.Dubbed by Suffolk probation officials the "probation officer on your hip," the global positioning system tracks offenders' every move on a map of the county in near real time, including how fast they've been going, and records all activities.
The GPS device, made by Florida-based ProTech, has three pieces: a small box with an LCD screen worn around the waist, which beeps text messages if an offender is in violation of his probation; an anklet; and a charger kept at home.
A probation officer can track offenders at work or home using a laptop computer. Officers receive hundreds of alerts daily when, say, a sex offender lingers near a school for too long or forgets to carry a part of the device to work.
Most of those alerts are minor. The system's LCD will alert an offender with messages such as "Get to work" or "Call probation." But a major alert, such as when an offender removes or tampers with the anklet, would trigger a high alert. [[[SNIP]]]
Officials say there have been a few kinks but won't discuss many of them for security reasons. The GPS signal, like a cell phone's, can be interfered with when the offender passes under a bridge, enters a windowless or steel-framed structure or covers the device in bedsheets or aluminum foil. "They're trying to test us," Suffolk probation director John Desmond said. "I don't want to give them any more ideas."
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: by BRANDON BAIN
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.There are millions if not billions being spent on GPS tracking of registered sex offenders and many other offenders, but how effective is it?
Time and time again we hear of the ways that GPS fails or is not capable of handling certain circumstances.
Now ProTech claims to be the leader in GPS Tracking. I would guess they have quite an income from that claim.
They also claim their units are "effective," and monitor folks 24/7. I would assume they have thought of every possible circumstance in the design of their units so that they are "effective" 24/7.
Hummm, offenders are human beings, and human beings are not robots that can run 24/7 without sleep. So, my question is, when offenders sleep is it at all possible that they sleep under a sheet or blanket? Or, I guess a condition of the GPS is that they do not sleep under sheets. Logical?
Lets see, in the middle of the night, should that be a high alert or ignored? Does anyone believe that the DOC will send someone out to the offenders home to tuck them in so that the sheets will not affect the GPS?
Sorry folks, this GPS is a waste of money and does nothing but line the pocketbooks of people who pander to the politicians who accept these units without ever checking their effectiveness. The Public is regularly bambozzled!
eAdvocate
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6-25-2007 Florida:
ProTech The Leader in GPS Offender Tracking |
.Advanced Systems that offer the Ultimate View: Never before has the tracking of offenders been so advanced, effective and affordable. GPS, the key component of our systems, is the latest satellite technology available. It is the most effective system on earth for pinpointing exact locations.
Unlike more conventional "house arrest" products used today, our system uses SMART® (Satellite Monitoring And Remote Tracking) to assist parole officers in tracking offenders closely and effectively, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
..more..
: by ProTech The Leader in GPS Offender Tracking
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