Police Use GPS Monitoring To ID Suspects In Murder Case

LOS ANGELES — A gang member suspected in the slaying of a 20-year- old woman led police right to him within minutes of the crime thanks to a monitoring ankle bracelet he wore as part of his parole, police Chief William Bratton said Wednesday.

Nelly Vergara Hernandez was shot and killed as she stood on the sidewalk at 2488 Venice Blvd. on Monday morning. Using a Global Positioning Satellite system to track sex offenders and gang members, LAPD officers learned MS-13 gang member John Garcia, 20, had been in the area at the time of the shooting. Within three minutes, a helicopter unit had tracked Garcia to Compton. Following seven hours of surveillance, Garcia and six other individuals were arrested.

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“Criminals are some of the stupidest people in the world,” Bratton said. “The more of these bracelets that we have out there, these people are going to become pariahs even among the gangs because the gang members aren’t going to want to be seen with them. “We’re not dealing with the brightest bulbs in the circuit. This character has to be one of the stupidest people in the city of Los Angeles.” The chief appeared alongside Hernandez’s mother, Mireya Robles, stepfather and four younger sisters at a morning news conference to discuss the arrests. “I can’t even begin to tell you my pain,” Robles said through an interpreter, as she cried and wiped away tears. “Because of these people — they shot at her — her dreams are not a reality any longer … I don’t wish this upon any mother, to go through what I am feeling today. Love your children as if it were the last day you will have them.” Hernandez was a student at Santa Monica College. Her mother said she was not affiliated with a gang. Police do not believe Hernandez was the shooter’s intended target. They declined to specify a motive for the crime. Overall crime is down in the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD expects to end 2007 with less than 400 homicides — a record that has not been reached since 1970. “This is the reason why — if we can save even one family from going through what this family is going through,” said Bratton, who appeared to be fighting back tears of his own. “If we can’t keep young girls safe, standing on a corner at 11 o’clock in the morning, from being killed by these monsters, then it’s all to no avail.” The GPS monitoring bracelets are worn by 20 Los Angeles gang members as a condition of their parole from prison. The bracelets keep a running log of where the 20 are and include time-stamped mapping. At the scene, witnesses said they saw seven people in a black sport utility vehicle from which the shots were fired, according to the LAPD. A police helicopter tracked Garcia to a house in Compton, where he was in a black SUV. “They were actually surprised that we were able to track them down so quickly,” said Detective Christine Holroyd. “They had no clue what was going on, none. They thought they had gotten away with the murder.” Police believe Garcia may have been driving the SUV at the time of the crime. Officers would not say who they suspect was the shooter. The other suspects under arrest are Juan Carlos Gutierrez, 31; Israel Flores, 20; Milcar Valencia Romero, 21; Jesse Anthony Castro, 20 and two juveniles aged 16 and 17. The District Attorney’s Office is expected to file charges against the seven some time Wednesday afternoon.

Source: KNBC.COM

Sheriffs monitor offenders by GPS

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY — A new federal grant will allow the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office to monitor domestic violence offenders on pre-trial release.

They’ll be tracked with a global positioning satellite unit strapped to their leg until they go to trial. The sheriff’s office will be able to track an offenders every movement and strengthen their ability to keep the victim safe.

Some offenders don’t like the idea of big brother watching over them, but others are taking advantage of the opportunity to continue working while they wait for their trial.

“We’re able to track them on a daily basis, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week,” said Lori Pegram, a detective in the Domestic Violence Program.

Pegram is the in charge of monitoring the domestic violence offenders enrolled in the pro-tech program. “If for instance the offender is in an area that is a red zone, it would be lit up in red as opposed to this green. Then I would know they are in what’s called an exclusion zone and I would send deputies out to make the arrest,” Pegram said.

Enrolling in this program costs money, just not for the taxpayers. Each offender has to pay a $300 monthly fee to use the program, Page points out it’s also a benefit for the offender.

“They can still go to work, they can still provide for their families, but also we’re saving thousands of dollars of tax dollars that otherwise we would be committing to housing these people and paying these fees,” Page said.

And at just over $60 a day to house an inmate, it’s a cost Page is willing to part with. But beyond the money, he says it gives some long desired relief for the victims.

“I feel like we are going to better serve and better protect our victims of domestic violence against persons that are domestic violence offenders,” Page said, “because we are going to be better at real time, better able to track them and their whereabouts. “

“They feel like they can go to bed at night knowing that somebody is watching their residences or their places of employment,” Pegram added.

The grant will cover operating start up expenses and operating costs for the first two years of the program. After that, the Sheriff’s Office will have an option to renew. Rockingham County is just one of five counties across the state to be awarded the grant. Alamance, Orange, Chatham and Pitt counties are also using the GPS system.

California Leads the Way on GPS Monitoring of Sex Offenders

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported recently about a significant milestone reached as it successfully completed placing every High Risk Sex Offender (HRSO) parolee under its jurisdiction on global position satellite (GPS) monitoring.

California has clearly become the nation’s leader when it comes to tracking sex offenders via the high tech devices. California now has a total of 4,800 sex offenders equipped with GPS. That total includes all 2,300 of its HRSO parolee population. That is nearly triple the 1,800 GPS units currently used by Florida, the second leading state using the devices.

“This is a significant accomplishment and shows that we are on track in implementing the GPS requirements mandated by Jessica’s Law,” said Scott Kernan, Chief Deputy Secretary of Adult Operations in a recent CDCR press release. “Our parole agents are working aggressively to increase public safety, and this is a major step for us to monitor those sex offenders deemed high risk to re-offend.”

The recent achievement by the department means that now over half of its nearly 9,000 sex offenders on parole supervision are being monitored electronically. CDCR is scheduled to have the entire sex offender parolee population on GPS monitoring devices by June 2009.

“We aren’t just monitoring these individuals by GPS, we have put them on reduced caseloads so that our parole agents can focus on keeping track of this population,” said Division of Adult Parole Office Director Tom Hoffman. “Our parole agents are out there every day working hard to monitor these individuals. Our goal is to prevent them from re-offending.”

Background:
Passed by California voters in 2006, Proposition 83 – also known as Jessica’s Law – requires that every paroled sex offender be monitored by GPS. Managing sex offender issues has been a priority for the department. In 2006, the CDCR developed and implemented significant notification procedures to local law enforcement agencies prior to the release of a sex offender parolee to their county. The department also works continuously to improve its policies on managing sex offenders, including implementing the life-time GPS monitoring required by Jessica’s Law. CDCR frequently seeks input from the California Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB), which was created in 2006 to advise the Legislature, the Governor and the CDCR in developing sound policy and recommendations on sex offender management.

Article by CDCR News

Hoyle Introduces Bill for Lifelong GPS Monitoring of Sex Offenders

Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, has introduced a bill that he hopes will supplement the proposed Jessica’s Law. His bill would require anyone convicted of molesting a child younger than 13 to submit to GPS monitoring for life.

“This is a one strike and you’re out,” Hoyle said.

The Shelby Star

David Hoyle is the man and on the right path, but personally I’d like to see it go farther.  Why don’t we just execute them?  I am totally serious.  Child molesters are sick in the head.  They can’t be treated and “cured” of their fetish.  They are a lifetime threat no matter where they go in public, so why spend millions of dollars for the government to keep track of them for the rest of their lives at our expense?  Stick a needle in their arm and just end it.

Children who are victims of sexual offense are scarred for the rest of their lives.  The predator deserves no better.

Posted in June 3rd, 2008

Tri-City sex offenders being tracked with GPS

If four Tri-City sex offenders say their day was spent job hunting, yet they never left the couch, authorities will know.

And if they go near a schoolyard, community park or even their victim’s home, they will be caught.

That’s because wherever they go they are being recorded by global positioning satellites.

The offenders are now being tracked “live time” with a computer mapping program or, more often, their probation officers are checking on them periodically throughout a day and reviewing each morning a list of the previous night’s activities.

“We refer to it as enhanced supervision,” said Anmarie Aylward, program administrator for the state Department of Corrections in Olympia.

The GPS program backed by Gov. Chris Gregoire is designed to help community corrections officials and law enforcement agencies “better supervise, monitor and track sex offenders,” she said.

After testing the waters with a pilot program in 2003, Gregoire made it a law a few years back that corrections officials can use appropriate means — such as GPS units — to supervise sex offenders.

Then, last November she allocated $400,000 to fully implement the tracking system.

The program started with Level 3 sex offenders — considered the most likely to re-offend — but last week was expanded to include Level 2 offenders, or those considered at moderate risk.

Aylward is quick to caution that it doesn’t mean the device will prevent an offender from committing more sex crimes.

A success story for the program is when a person with “risky behavior” is caught “real short of any victimization” or a problematic offender who has escaped is quickly nabbed because the GPS device alerted authorities, she said.

Aylward said in a Snohomish County case, the offender had a history of not complying and removed the device, then left the state.

Within nine hours of the tampering, a warrant was issued and multiple agencies were searching for him. Without GPS monitoring, it often takes 24 to 72 hours.

Community corrections officials assigned to supervise the offenders can track their movements to within 50 feet, and daily reports tell them when that person has strayed.

One step inside a prohibited area or any attempts to tamper with the equipment and a beep sounds telling the offender to go home and call their community corrections officer.

An alert also is sent to grab the officer’s attention the next time the officer logs on to the computer program — just in case the offender didn’t make the call.

Corrections officers can also send text messages to the device, like a pager, if they are watching the hybrid map at the same time the offender goes into a restricted zone, leaves an assigned area or breaks curfew.

The devices consist of an ankle bracelet, a bulky box that can be worn in the provided fanny pack or attached to a belt, and a base unit.

The offender must “dock” the tracking device in the base unit either to charge the battery or download their daily log, which is then uploaded to the department’s computers for review.

The ankle transmitter is never removed, so the person must be within a certain distance of the tracking device at all times or authorities are alerted. That includes if they leave the device behind at home, trying to fool authorities into thinking they never left.

The state also has newer devices for sex offenders who are homeless. The one-piece unit takes less electricity so the person can go longer during the day before needing to find somewhere to plug in.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs has been helping the department by finding the best devices and getting the appropriate software, Aylward said.

“We’ve had some complaints that it stops people from getting jobs, but most people in jobs wear long pants. It’s not going to show,” Aylward said. “And we’ve had some sex offenders on supervision request electronic supervision. They want to show they are complying.”

A suspect in a Bellingham rape case was cleared of the new charges when his GPS data showed he was not at the location where the crime occurred, she said.

In all eight sex offenders living in the Tri-City area have participated since the start of the program, not by choice but because they met the criteria. That can include home or job issues, failing to comply with conditions or the high profile status of their case.

Benton County has 515 registered sex offenders and Franklin County has 222. The majority of those are no longer under supervision but still are required to notify the sheriff’s office of their current address.

Michelle Ballard, community corrections supervisor in the department’s Kennewick office, said one offender was put on the GPS system because he couldn’t provide job information and never seemed to be at his home address.

“We do make sure they are staying where they’re staying and we can track where they go everyday to see if they are really going to look for work,” she said. “It’s a tool to enhance their supervision.”

Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writer

Bill Would Put GPS Devices on Truant Students

WASHINGTON — Kids in Prince George’s County might want to think twice before skipping school.
Lawmakers in the county are proposing that children who skip school be fitted with a GPS tracking devices.
Maryland Delegate Doyle Niemann (D-Prince George’s Co.) says it’s not enough to simply hold parents accountable when their children don’t show […]

Tracking Device-How about using GPS monitoring to stop batterers?

Last month, 26-year-old Rebecca Griego was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Rowan, as she sat in her administrative office at the University of Washington. Rowan had previously threatened to harm Griego, her sister, and their dogs, and she had gotten a restraining order. She’d also passed out pictures of him to her co-workers so they could serve Rowan the order if he showed up at the campus. And she’d moved to a new apartment and started working from home for two weeks before her death. None of this, of course, helped her.

What might have? In fact, Washington had a good tool in place: a state law that allows judges to impose electronic monitoring as a condition of a restraining order. When judges so order, the police can keep tabs on abusers with a technology best known to people who are bad with directions: the global positioning system.

Just as GPS can find a lost driver, it can also alert cops and targets whenever a domestic-violence offender enters a restricted zone, like the area surrounding a woman’s home or office. Police put an electronic bracelet on the batterer that sends a signal to computer servers at headquarters if he goes anywhere he shouldn’t. Then, if he violates a restraining order, they can call the woman to let her know that he is on his uninvited way. The idea is to buy women crucial time, even if it’s only minutes, so they can get away. The notification loop also kicks in if the offender tries to remove or deactivate the bracelet.

In addition to their value in emergencies, GPS monitoring also may deter offenders from violating restraining orders in the first place. The Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center in Amesbury, Mass., which has been tracking the local success of GPS monitoring, has found that none of the batterers it is studying have committed any serious infractions (beyond “administrative” no-nos, like letting the batteries on their bracelets run low). Knowing the law is on to them may make batterers less likely to break it.

When you think about it from a battered woman’s point of view, GPS surveillance seems like “a no-brainer,” in the words of former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who helped to push through a monitoring law in her state. Along with Massachusetts and Washington, six other states—Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Utah—have laws that explicitly establish parameters for the electronic surveillance of batterers. Judges in other states may be able to use GPS monitoring too, under the theory that doing so would help to enforce the kind of protection that a restraining order is supposed to (but often doesn’t) provide.

To be sure, GPS monitoring for batterers isn’t a cure-all. It raises civil liberties concerns (though I didn’t find anyone who was eager to press that argument). It’s also possible that the occasional abuser might be so enraged by the cops keeping an electronic eyeball on him that he’d be more rather than less likely to get violent again. This issue comes up with restraining orders, too. The best solution, domestic-violence experts say, is for police to talk to victims, who can predict fairly accurately how batterers will respond to different punitive measures.

In addition, victim advocates point out that GPS monitoring can’t protect women from the damage abusers can do long-distance—like leaving threatening voice messages or ruining their credit rating. But the evidence from the Geiger Center argues otherwise, because none of the guys in that study have tried to harass their victims in any way. The research is small-scale and preliminary but matches the thinking of advocates, who believe GPS monitoring will deter a range of transgressions by sending a stronger message than a restraining order that the justice system takes battering seriously.

The real barrier to GPS monitoring is paying for it. Though electronic surveillance has gotten cheaper in recent years, it still costs $10 a day—$300 a month per offender. (In addition to the bracelets themselves, the cost includes the GPS servers and software and the salaries for the people operating the computers.) Some states, like Massachusetts, plan to make offenders pay for the monitoring themselves. That approach could backfire, however, in the case of a guy who’s also required to pay child support. While he goes to jail if he refuses to pay for GPS monitoring, all that happens if he doesn’t write his child-support check is that his wages may be garnisheed. So, an abuser low on funds might logically skip child support instead of the GPS payments. And if he does go to jail, he can’t earn the money to pay the child support.

Victim advocates would prefer that the government cover the cost of monitoring. They hope it will pay for itself with savings in other areas, like a reduced need for family shelters—where one-quarter of occupants are typically fleeing abuse—and fewer pricey murder trials. One potential source of funding is the federal Violence Against Women Act of 2005. VAWA is supposed to fund states to improve the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of violent crimes against women. The question is how much money Congress will put behind it. If fully funded, VAWA could mean $1 billion for the states, some of which could go toward GPS monitoring.

Still, even if well-funded, cool new technology has its limits. Before he murdered Rebecca Griego, Jonathan Rowan went into hiding. The police never found him, so they couldn’t slap him with the restraining order Griego got, and they wouldn’t haven’t been able to track him using GPS, either. For monitoring to work, the police must first get the bracelet on the offender.

By Maura Kelly

More States Move to Use GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders

NEW YORK —  The crimes of convicted sex offenders are starting to haunt them … literally.

Many states are initiating programs that track registered sex offenders using Global Positioning Satellites, or GPS, sometimes for life. GPS can track the exact location of the offenders at all times, making it easier for law enforcement to ensure that they’re abiding with the terms of their release.

It sounds like an efficient system: Authorities can keep track of dangerous sex offenders without having to keep them in prison at taxpayers’ expense.

But opponents argue that process, particularly if it’s for life, is excessively punitive and invades the privacy of offenders after they’ve served their time. And with 50 states, 50 different sets of laws are likely to emerge, making for complicated enforcement.

“Bottom line is that decisions on the use of this kind of technology, which can be characterized as very invasive of the individual’s privacy, need to be made on a case-by-case basis … If it is used it should be the exception and only applied in the most egregious cases,” said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Sobel noted that many offenders are simply trying to resume some semblance of a normal life once out of prison.

“Lifetime monitoring would erase the concept we have of people paying their debts to society and moving on in an equal footing,” he said.

But others say it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Republican state Sen. Matt Bartle of Missouri has sponsored a bill that would cast a wider net over those who would be tracked, including repeat offenders who have committed crimes such as exposing oneself to a child. The bill would also impose much stronger penalties for sexual offenses, such as requiring the individual to wear a tracking device even after the sentence and parole time have been completed.

“I think the general public is really not terribly confident that we’re getting it right when it comes to pedophiles — that this individual, case-by-case approach is leading to some very horrific situations,” Bartle said.

‘Jessica’s Law’ Calls for Offender Tracking

As of March, at least 17 states saw one or more bills introduced employing the GPS tracking of sex offenders, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. States such as Ohio, Oklahoma and Florida allow lifetime tracking of habitual offenders.

Florida began requiring mandatory lifetime GOP tracking for those convicted of sex crimes against children 11 and younger after the March 2005 murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford by a convicted sex offender living nearby. The law also mandates a 25-year prison sentence for many offenders who commit crimes against kids.

Wisconsin last month extended lifetime GPS monitoring to serious and repeat child predators, while California is pushing a version of “Jessica’s Law” on the November ballot that would mandate lifetime GPS tracking for every sex offender leaving prison.

On May 15, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created a task force to focus on policies for electronic surveillance of sex offenders. His recent budget has requested $8 million for Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Forces (SAFE teams) designed to “reduce violent sexual offenses through proactive surveillance and arrest of habitual sex offenders.”

In South Carolina, GPS tracking applies to offenses including “criminal sexual contact with a minor, lewd act upon a minor, solicitation of a minor,” according to the NCSL. Monitoring would continue for the length of time the individual is required to be registered as a sex offender.

The Missouri Department of Corrections implemented a GPS program designed to track offenders who are at high risk for recidivism. Agency spokesman Brian Hauswirth said those chosen for the pilot will be required to complete 90 to 120 days of monitoring, and release will be based on “measurable positive adjustment by the officer.” The program will target only higher-risk elements of the population, such as violent felons and sex criminals.

“Overall, we’re very pleased with the pilot project. We’ve had some equipment issues. There are some ‘bugs’ in the system that we’re working to fix. The pilot project is the time to do that,” Hauswirth said.

Recidivism is an argument often used by those advocating the use of GPS tracking. Many GPS experts say offenders are less likely to commit a similar crime if they know they are being tracked.

According to the Office of Justice Programs at the Justice Department, of the 9,691 male sex offenders released from prisons in 15 states in 1994, 5.3 percent were rearrested for a new sex crime within three years of release. Of those released who allegedly committed another sex crime, 40 percent perpetrated the new offense within a year or less from getting out of prison.

The Center for Recidivism Management at the Justice Department says underestimating, or underreporting, is higher in crimes of sexual violence than general criminal violence.

How the Technology Works

ISECUREtrac, a Nebraska-based company specializing in GPS offender tracking, says its systems can pinpoint offenders’ locations within a 15-foot radius. ISECUREtrac (OTC) provides numerous states with GPS systems, and according to its Web site, “experience indicates that agencies that utilize GPS monitoring systems have increased offender compliance, enhanced their ability to monitor more offenders simultaneously, and have had the greatest impact on reducing re-offense.”

GPS technology was developed in the 1960s by the military in order to provide accurate positioning of their equipment and troops. There are 24 satellites surrounding the earth that transmit signals to ground stations. GPS receivers use the signals to calculate locations. The Department of Defense calls the technology the Navigation System with Timing and Ranging, or NAVSTAR.

Offenders being tracked wear a wireless electronic device on their ankles the size of a deck of cards. Offenders must wear the waterproof ankle bands at all times and stay within a certain distance from the separate GPS transmitters, which can be carried with them or set on surfaces when at home or work.

Detractors, however, argue that the system can easily become cost-prohibitive if the criteria for monitoring are too broad. Various estimates of the cost of GPS programs run from about $7 to $9 a day per offender — significantly cheaper than incarceration, which ranges from approximately $40 to $100 per day, depending on the state and prison.

But the broader the scale of offenders being tracked, the higher the costs become for the state.

“With over a quarter of a million sex offenders, the government is going to need 100,000 employees to track them all, which is going to get very expensive,” said Jack King, a spokesman for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which recently announced the formation of a task force designed to study this issue.

King questioned whether the tracking systems could reduce the recidivism rate, which he said was approximately 7 percent.

“I would say it is way too soon to even speculate whether GPS monitoring of ex-offenders would help prevent recidivism. Preventing recidivism is a worthy goal, but who is to say whether a new technology works or not? One size never really ‘fits all,’ no matter what they say,” King argued.

Critics fear that certain sex offenders, such as those with non-violent statutory rape convictions and those convicted of lesser sex crimes, might also become subject to intrusive surveillance.

Peggy Conway, the editor of the Journal of Offender Monitoring at the Civic Research Institute, thinks GPS works best as a deterrent for crime, but not as a punitive measure. Monitoring is useful as an aid for rehabilitation, she said, allowing the offender to become more compliant and able to cooperate with other treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

“For low-level offenders, GPS tracking is overly supervisory. It becomes too much of a scarlet letter for them,” Conway added.

Opponents also argue that society needs to be cautious when it comes to governments monitoring people with the latest technology.

“I think its use needs to be very carefully debated and limited to only those situations in which there is an extremely strong law enforcement argument,” said Sobel of EPIC. “Just because the technology exists to allow for this kind of tracking, doesn’t mean that it should be done in a routine way.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Hannah Sentenac, foxnews.com

Judges rule against GPS monitoring of sex offenders

Pittsboro, N.C. — A Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that because a Chatham County man was convicted of sex offenses before the state adopted a monitoring law, he does not have to wear a satellite tracking monitor.

The decision by Judge Allen Baddour was the latest setback for the state’s attempts to track sex offenders who have finished their sentences.

Guy Reeves was convicted in January 2006 of taking indecent liberties with a 7-year-old, his third sex-offense conviction. He left jail in May 2007.

The General Assembly passed laws on sex-offender monitoring in 2006 and added specific procedures for the program last December.

Assistant Chatham County District Attorney Marci Trageser argued Tuesday that lawmakers intended the statute to be retroactive as a safety measure for the public and that made tracking part of the original sentence, not additional punishment.

“It clearly specifies in the session law that this is also to apply to any person released from prison,” Trageser said.

Baddour’s rejection of that argument made Reeves the 29th convicted sex offender in North Carolina to get a tracking device removed.

Last week, another judge ruled that sex offenders shouldn’t be subject to lifetime monitoring, and four men have had their monitoring devices removed.

Statewide, 113 people are still monitored. State Department of Correction officials say it costs $2,745 a year to track one offender.

Attorneys opposing the monitoring have argued that the system violates constitutional rights and was beset by technical problems.

“I don’t want to make a moral assessment of the thing, (but) it seems to me that, once a person has been either found guilty or pled guilty and has served his sentence and been discharged, then that should be the end of it,” said Ken Richardson, the public defender who represents Reeves.

Reeves, who still must stay registered with local authorities as a convicted sex offender, said he was happy he no longer will have to wear a monitoring device.

• Reporter: Kelcey Carlson
• Photographer: Tom Normanly
• Web Editor: Matthew Burns

Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

GPS seen as way to aid abuse victims

BOSTON — The young mother’s long nightmare began to subside soon after her abusive ex-husband was outfitted with a satellite monitoring device that would electronically warn authorities if he ever got too close to her.

The woman, who requested anonymity, can now drive her children to the store again without going 45 minutes out of her way to avoid him. She can leave her home in eastern Massachusetts without agonizing about whether it would be better to wear a wig, or whether she could reach a police station if she saw him following her.

She says she has a life again, thanks to the small global-positioning device clipped to the belt of a man who she feared would kill her.

“Because he went on GPS, I got to go back to school,” said the woman, who lives on the front line of an innovative Massachusetts program that uses GPS monitoring for those who violate orders of protection. “I got to raise two beautiful kids.”

The Illinois House on Thursday unanimously passed legislation that would allow judges to order GPS monitoring for those who violate orders of protection. The proposed law is modeled on the statute in Massachusetts, one of only a handful of states with experience using the high-tech system to track those accused of domestic violence.

Approved more than a year ago, the Massachusetts monitoring system has proved most effective in the Newburyport area northeast of Boston, where experts say the results have been excellent. So far, none of the eight people outfitted with GPS there have violated protective orders, authorities say.

The effort in Illinois was prompted by last month’s slaying of Cindy Bischof, 43, an Elmhurst real estate broker who was shot to death outside her office by a former boyfriend, who then turned the pistol on himself. Michael Giroux was twice charged with violating Bischof’s restraining order.

GPS is not a panacea. But women whose attackers have been fitted with it, and advocates and researchers who have studied electronic monitoring, say the technology can turn the tables on people under orders of protection.

“It’s really what the technology does to the mind of the batterer more than anything else, and if they realize that there will be very concrete evidence of their violating the restrictions, they are less likely to do so,” said Edna Erez, head of the criminal justice department at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Massachusetts has been using GPS monitoring for sex offenders since 2005, and in late 2006 started using it for those accused of domestic violence or stalking.

In the Bay State program, a GPS-fitted cell phone checks where someone is once a minute, and transmits that data to three central tracking centers every five minutes, said Paul Lucci, deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Probation Service.

A companion ankle bracelet connects wirelessly to the phone and ensures the person is always carrying it.If the person wearing the GPS device moves into a restricted area—such as near a victim’s home or workplace, or if the bracelet is cut, or the cell phone left even a few feet away, authorities are alerted. They’re also warned if the phone’s batteries are low.

In a small office in a government building in Boston—one of the three state monitoring centers—several state probation employees watched computer screens and made calls to people on probation or parole fitted with the GPS devices. The operation is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When someone enters an area from which they are barred—they’re called “exclusion zones”—an alert is set off, and a probation employee tries to contact the person being tracked on the GPS cell phone, Lucci said. If that doesn’t work, a parole officer is contacted, and an arrest warrant can be issued.

Although the Illinois legislation would require victims to be automatically contacted if a potential attacker moves into a restricted area, a woman in Massachusetts is contacted by authorities only if required by court order. Some critics say that is a flaw.

Despite these and other gaps in the Massachusetts system, it’s working in areas like Newburyport, where GPS tracking is recommended by a team of law enforcement and social service workers who review all domestic violence cases in the area. Not everyone is enthusiastic about GPS monitoring. Fathers’ rights groups are skeptical of protection orders and even more wary of monitoring.

“These things, the protection orders, they’re a license to dehumanize somebody,” said Mark Charalambous, a spokesman for the state’s Fatherhood Coalition.

But the young mother who went back to school and another woman said GPS tracking protected them and dramatically changed the quality of their lives. Both women were helped by the Newburyport team. “At least I could sleep at night when [my ex-husband] was on” GPS tracking, said the second woman, who also asked not to have her name used.

Some women such as Mary Rieves, 47, of Boston, look forward to taking advantage of the system. Rieves said she has had protection orders against her ex-boyfriend since 1993. If he ever is released from jail, she hopes he is fitted with a GPS device.

“Why should I, the victim, have to alter myself?” Rieves said.

In Springfield on Thursday, the House sent the legislation to the Senate on a 114-0 vote after Rep. Suzanne Bassi (R- Rolling Meadows), the sponsor, reminded lawmakers that Bischof “lived in constant fear of this coward.”

As the chamber quieted, Bassi recounted how Bischof wore a panic button around her neck and had security cameras and an alarm system installed but that her effort “still wasn’t enough.”

Several lawmakers said they hoped Bischof’s death would not be in vain, that the legislation soon will become a law that helps others fight what one lawmaker called a “reign of terror.”

“Something now has to change to help these people so we do not hear on the radio of another woman who was found dead by someone who has attacked her . . .” said Rep. Patricia Bellock (R-Hinsdale).

Tribune reporter Ray Long contributed to this report.

lford@tribune.com