Tennessee passes a law requiring GPS tracking of violent domestic abusers – the first of its kind in the US
On Monday, a new law went into effect in Tennessee requiring GPS monitoring of the most violent domestic abusers. Born out of an unspeakable tragedy, the law is the first of its kind in the United States.
On April 12, 2021, Debbie Sisco and her daughter Marie Varsos were shot and killed outside of Nashville by Marie's estranged husband Shaun Varsos, who later committed suicide.
Varsos broke into his mother-in-law's house, where Marie was staying, armed with guns, cable ties and battery acid, ready to hunt her down.
He had been released on bail after strangling his wife and threatening her with a gun a month earlier.
Alex Youn, Marie's brother and Debbie's son, was devastated.
“Two people I love very much were just quickly ripped out of my life,” Youn said.
Varsos was considered such a threat that the judge could have required a GPS tracking device as a condition of his release on bail, but he did not. Youn believes his mother and sister could still be alive if the judge had required it.
“That's a question for the judge. It makes me angry,” Youn said.
Judges can require GPS monitoring as a bail condition, but often do not.
Youn channeled his pain and anger into a successful push for mandatory GPS tracking of perpetrators of aggravated assault in domestic violence cases. The new law in Tennessee is called the Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act.
According to the CDC, one in four women and one in seven men are victims of domestic violence.
“When firearms are involved, when strangulation occurs, when there is increased stalking, [offenders] more likely to do it again,” says Jennifer Waindle, deputy director of the nonprofit Battered Women's Justice Project.
For example, GPS tracking could potentially make the difference between life and death. This technology alerts victims via a phone app or electronic device when an offender violates a protection order, such as moving within a certain radius of the victim or breaching a restricted zone such as their home. In this case, the victim may receive multiple alerts such as text messages and emails, while a monitoring center calls the police.
Ray Gandolf, director of business development at Tennessee AMS, is a leading force in the use of GPS technology as a safety tool.
“Every second counts,” said Gandolf.
Gandolf said the alarms can allow victims to seek help or take cover. “They can position themselves in a safe location, lock themselves in a place where they have the ability to call 911 and get help immediately,” Gandolf said.
In Tennessee, Youn made sure the names Debbie Sisco and Marie Varsos live on.
“I am confident that other states will follow what Tennessee is doing and implement it in their other states as well,” Youn said.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visit www.thehotline.org, or text “START” to 88788.
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