D.C. leads nation in tracking offenders with GPS technology
Current rank: # 23 of 8,946
WASHINGTON -
More than 600 convicted offenders in the District of Columbia are being tracked by federal authorities using GPS satellite technology, more people per capita than any other state or city, officials said.
The technology has been used to solve several violent crimes in the area, including the arrest of a convicted robber for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and kidnapping another in February, officials said.
Those being tracked with bracelets have been released from prison on parole or probation. GPS technology allows the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency to track them wherever they go.
Each day, law enforcement agencies in the city plug the dates, time and place of major crimes into a computer system and cross-reference them with the movements of known offenders as provided by GPS tracking.
The ankle bracelets are a condition of release for some convicted criminals, and authorities expect to expand its use to 800 people by the end of the year, said agency spokesman Leonard Sipes.
There are numerous stories of offenders who are being peer-pressured into committing another crime who simply pull up their pants leg to reveal the ankle bracelet, and usually the friends understand, Sipes said.
“It’s a heck of an incentive for an individual to do what is in their best interest, the best interest of their families and the best interest of their community,” he said.
Mapping technology allows COSTA to create images of locations and offender movements. Last month, authorities couldn’t figure out why one sexual offender was hanging out every day at a Metro stop until they placed a Google Earth overlay on the site that revealed he was going to a children’s playground. Authorities remotely searched the offender’s computer and found he was visiting child pornography Web sites, Sipes said.
In domestic violence cases, authorities can warn the victim if the offender enters his or her neighborhood and work to immediately obtain an arrest warrant, Sipes said.
The satellite tracking is also used to make sure offenders meet required appointments, he said. If the offender misses an appointment, CSOSA can limit his movement from a certain part of town to a 12-block area from the person’s house.
Examiner
Press Release
600 Offenders Now on Satellite (GPS) Tracking in Washington, D.C.
800 Offenders on Satellite Tracking Projected by the End of 2008
Radio Program (podcast) on Satellite Tracking Available at http://media.csosa.gov For Immediate Release: April 1, 2008 Contact Len Sipes at 202-220-5616 The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) has 600 offenders on satellite or GPS tracking daily. The terms satellite tracking and global positioning system (GPS) tracking are synonymous. CSOSA is a federal, executive branch agency providing parole and probation services to Washington, D.C. Satellite tracking involves placing a device the size of a cell phone on the ankles of selected offenders. This technology provides Community Supervision Officers (referred to as parole and probation officers elsewhere) with the ability to track an offender’s movements wherever he or she goes. CSOSA places select sex, domestic violence, violent and non-violent offenders on GPS tracking. Offenders are placed on satellite tracking for public safety reasons or as a response to violations of rules or treatment requirements. Categories of offenders on monitoring include (figures approximate): 1. Sex offenders: 50 2. Domestic violence offenders: 50
3. Violent offenders: 4004. Non-violent offenders violating conditions of release: 505. Mental health caseload offenders that are violating conditions of release: 50 Community Supervision Officers track offender movements by reviewing GPS tracks on their computers on a daily basis during work hours. Special conditions can be set restricting offenders from certain sections of the city (i.e., sex offenders from playgrounds or school yards) or confinement at home or placed on a curfew. Special emphasis is placed on offenders having prohibited interactions with victims or witnesses. Satellite tracking is also useful in making sure offenders participate in required treatment programs. GPS tracking can be used to place offenders at crime scenes. CSOSA works daily with the Metropolitan Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to match GPS coordinates with locations of crimes. Mapping technology allows CSOSA to create extremely detailed maps of locations and offender movements to aid in suspect apprehension. Recent examples of the use of satellite tracking to apprehend crime suspects include the arrest of an offender wanted for two sex assaults against minor females in NW Washington, D.C. in February. Please see www.csosa.gov for media coverage. CSOSA expects to have 800 offenders on satellite tracking by the end of calendar year 2008. Demonstration Available A demonstration of GPS technology is available on Wednesday, April 2 at 300 Indiana Ave, NW (CSOSA offices) from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For additional information, contact: Leonard Sipes, Senior Public Affairs Specialist, 202-220-5616 ######