News10NBC investigates: Lack of GPS tracking in ankle bracelets under investigation after Rochester man charged with manslaughter
Missing GPS in ankle bracelets raises questions about manslaughter charges
ROCHESTER, NY — A week after a judge removed the ankle bracelet from a man accused of attacking his girlfriend, Rochester police say the man killed his girlfriend. The report by News10NBC chief investigative reporter Berkeley Brean sparked a series of questions from a county deputy today.
“I would like to know why we read about electronic surveillance systems that do not have GPS,” said Monroe County Rep. Rachel Barnhart (D).
Barnhart represents part of the city and Irondequoit in the county government. She sent a letter to the county government today with a list of questions she wants answered.
At Walter Balkum's August 22 hearing, Judge Karen Bailey Turner said, “What I'm hearing in the pretrial proceedings in Monroe County – and I know it's been an issue – is that there is no GPS.”
Susan Nichols of the county's investigative commission said, “The only type of home monitoring we do is house arrest. We don't have GPS.”
Later the judge said: “The court would like to know where Mr. Balkum is?”
The system monitoring Balkum failed to track him when he left his home. Five days after the hearing, Balkum's girlfriend was beaten to death and he was charged with manslaughter.
“It's questionable whether an electronic monitoring system could have prevented this tragedy at all,” Barnhart said. “Especially when there is no GPS.”
Even Balkum's lawyer expressed confusion about the ankle bracelet.
Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “What was the use of the ankle bracelet if he was allowed to go anywhere and no one could track where he went?”
Ted Barraco, Balkum’s lawyer: “That was the point. I didn't know and he didn't know that the ankle bracelet didn't have GPS.”
Berkeley Brean: “What would you like to know?”
Rachel Barnhart: “I think we need comprehensive information about electronic monitoring systems, especially when I read a court transcript where the right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing. If a judge doesn't understand this technology, what's really going on here?”
News10NBC spoke to the county about these ankle bracelets. They say the court has to order the bracelets.
“Probation officers and pretrial judges have the ability to place someone on electronic monitoring, but not the power to do so. Only a court can do that,” wrote county spokesman Gary Walker. “Mr. Balkum repeatedly violated the conditions of his release, resulting in written reports of noncompliance sent to the prosecutor, the individual's attorney, the clerk of the court and the judge's law clerk. The court was aware that the RUS/EM (supervised release with electronic monitoring) conditions permitted the movements outside the home described above.”
At the end of her letter, Barnhart writes that there are so many questions that it might be better if the county prepared a presentation for all legislators.
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