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News & Noteworthy © ---
Featured Issue 11-12-06 |
ZERO:
The value of Prop 83's GPS for preventing crimes
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11-11-2006 California:
Alleged Sex Offender Arrested On School Campus |
.LOS ANGELES An allegedly high-risk sex offender was arrested after being tracked by GPS to a Los Angeles elementary school campus, police said. No children were hurt since police were able to arrest the man before he could possibly inflict harm, according to Gail Abarbanel of the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.
The LAPD's Real Time Analysis Critical Response Division announced the arrest Saturday morning. Ronald Bryant, 37, was tracked to Parmelee Avenue Elementary School at 1338 E. 76th Place at about 10 a.m. Friday and left 15 minutes later, according to the statement. Under the terms of parole, sex offenders are generally not allowed on school campuses. Bryant is monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet and his parole agent was notified of the violation by an LAPD officer with the Real Time Analysis and Critical Response Division.
Police followed Bryant to the Los Arcos Inn in South Gate at 2979 Firestone Blvd., where he'd been living for the last three or four months, according to the Inn's manager Jay Bhagat. Bryant was arrested by South Gate police at the motel. "They arrested him before he did anything," Abarbanel said. "That's the beauty of this system. That it didn't happen. It's a good thing. These are high risk offenders." Under the terms of parole, sex offenders are generally not allowed near schools.
"I never thought he would do something like that. I'm living here with my two little kids and wife," Bhagat said. "He never causes trouble. I don't know what happened." The LAPD has been using the Veritracks monitoring system to track high-risk sex offenders since June, when it was chosen by the State Parole Department to conduct a pilot program of the system.
Voters on Tuesday passed Proposition 83, or Jessica's Law, which will increase penalties for registered sex offenders, banning them from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. It also requires lifetime electronic monitoring via GPS technology for all felony sex offenders.
..no more..
: by CBS2.com .... Link to video report by Linda Alvarez then Annie Kim: CLICK to view the video
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.There is no doubt that the intent of the news article in the sidebar is to show how Prop 83's GPS will prevent crime. i.e., will catch offenders before they can commit a new crime.
However, the article alone does not contain the whole story, there is a video, and a picture of the offender. When you put the facts, which are scattered between these, together, only then will you realize that Prop 83's GPS is absolutely useless for preventing crime.
I find it hard to believe the reporters would even write this story the way they did because it clearly misleads the public.
So, read the article, listen to the video, and look closely at the picture of the offender. Notice the caption under the picture, "... after he apparently strayed onto an elementary school campus Friday," and the article comment by the motel manager Bhagat said. "He never causes trouble. I don't know what happened." Together it sounds like he made some kind of mistake, honestly I think he did, but lets see the facts.
Where was he arrested?
The article title says "Alleged sex offender arrested on school campus." However, buried in the article we find 'Bryant was arrested by South Gate police at the motel." So I looked up the two addresses shown in the article and behold they are 2.8 miles apart. So much for Prop 83's residency restrictions (2,000 feet) as a protection scheme here, this fellow lives over 10,000 feet from this school.
How long was he on the school campus?
The article says, he arrived ABOUT 10 AM and left 15 minutes later. That trouble me, GPS cannot tell the exact time he arrived, and where on campus he went? The video shows the LAPD's Real Time Analysis Critical Response Division replay of his footsteps. While its hard to see on the video it appears he walked between two buildings which then opened into the large playground area. My guess is he was looking for a shortcut and (I'm guessing now) saw a fenced area and backtracked back through the two buildings.
So I did a Google Earth look at the school property, sure enough the area in back of the two buildings is courtyard like and surrounded by other homes, so there was no way out but back through the two buildings. Could he have been looking for children? No, school was closed for Veteran's day. How do I know that, the reporter Annie Kim says that on the video but it is not mentioned in the article. However the article implies children were at the school, "No children were hurt since police were able to arrest the man before he could possibly inflict harm, ...
When was he arrested?
Heavens to Betsy, registered sex offender wearing a GPS unit under the 24/7 watch of the LAPD's Real Time (meaning minute-by-minute) Analysis Critical Response Division, heading for a school, holy cow, I'd expect sirens blaring, tires screeching, SWAT team, but none of that happened. The Police followed Bryant to the Los Arcos Inn in South Gate (2.8 miles away from the school), followed him? "Bryant was arrested by South Gate police at the motel." says the article, 3 hours later says Annie Kim on the video.
I love the logic of "Gail Abarbanel," and I'll bet the general public, who are being left totally in the dark as to the real facts, "They arrested him before he did anything," Abarbanel said. "That's the beauty of this system. That it didn't happen. It's a good thing. These are high risk offenders." Why did the reporters even contact her for a statement? Does anyone have any idea?
In my commentary "The Bamboozling of California Voters: Prop 83!" where I addressed the unbelievable costs of GPS in Prop 83, over $100,000,00 million per year. This is the type of protection one would expect for that money? "There's a sucker born every minute...and two to take 'em," politicians and vendors really bamboozled California voters.
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