New York, NY – New York City police and prosecutors have a new way of preventing domestic violence: Offenders now must wear an ankle bracelet that sets off an alarm if they get too close to their victims.
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The device uses cell phone triangulation and global positioning to alert authorities and battered women or other domestic violence victims if the wearer enters an “exclusion zone,” usually an area about 500 to 1,000 feet around a victim’s home, school or job. The zone is spelled out in orders of protection issued when the offender agrees to wear the bracelet as part of their sentencing.
Victims are alerted via text messages or a cell phone call. An alert is also sent to a Colorado-based monitoring company, which calls 911 in New York. The NYPD is then sent to arrest the offender.
The initiative provides a “modern-day solution to an age-old problem and will assist victims to regain control of their lives,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “No longer will an order of protection be simply an unenforceable piece of paper.”
The bracelet program took effect at the end of March in Queens and Brooklyn. Police sources said the NYPD hopes to expand the program citywide. [newsday]
“Maybe an even better electronic gizmo for dealing with domestic violence is to give each victim a TASER, and then teach her/him how to effectively use it.”
good idea!. this idea, contrary to the ankle bracelet, lets people defend themselves, rather then letting the government force someone to wear an ankle bracelet.
Sorry, but people cannot be forced to do stuff b/c we want to. they, like us, have rights.
yitzchokm — I detect in your comments a strange amount of sympathy for the domestic violence batterers, rather than for the victims. Do you still beat your wife?
Maybe an even better electronic gizmo for dealing with domestic violence is to give each victim a TASER, and then teach her/him how to effectively use it.
Yitzchokmyes they loose their right to be around someone they did something violent i guess you like being attacked.
Yitzchokm… read this article again. this bracelet is part of their sentencing, the offender agrees to wear it. And actualy YES when you commit a crime you do loose some of your rights. Unfortunately up to now its the victims who have lost their rights and sometimes their lives.
Just because someone is charged with domestic violence, it doesn’t mean that he/she loses his/her rights! Why should this be legal? Why he be forced to wear an ankle bracelet?
If the victim wears a receiver than it would alert them when they are walking on the street, not only at the place of work or at home.