Tennessee lawmakers want real-time GPS tracking for violent repeat offenders in custody

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — As part of Operation Crime and Justice, Tennessee lawmakers will introduce a bill to combat repeat offenders in the next legislative session.

The bill provides real-time Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking for violent and repeat offenders who are out on bail.

As you can imagine, public safety is a primary community concern. People want the problem addressed, but the problem is that everyone has a different opinion about how we deal with it.

We've seen it time and time again. Repeat offenders and violent offenders are accused of committing crimes while in prison. State Representative GA Hardaway says the perpetrators have already proven they cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

The plan proposed by Tennessee lawmakers aims to target defendants with violent pasts. This would build on legislation Hardaway co-sponsored earlier this year. It requires some domestic violence offenders to wear a GPS monitor while on bail – with technology that also alerts victims if something goes wrong.

“If we can’t hold them physically, we hold them digitally and can touch them with our hands if necessary,” Hardaway says.

Before Hardaway brings this proposal to the state level in the next session, he will begin a pilot program in Memphis, Shelby County.

Here he says that almost half of those arrested today are repeat offenders.

“The electric monitors are not foolproof, and we’ve seen that,” says Verna Wyatt of TN Voices for Victims.

Wyatt says history shows that an ankle bracelet doesn't stop violent criminals from committing more crimes. These are concerns we shared with Hardaway.

FOX 17 News asked: “Specifically, earlier this year in Nashville, we saw a repeat offender take off his ankle bracelet and kill popular rapper Chris King. How will your program address these issues?”

Hardaway responded: “It is real-time monitoring, not data or a chart that we look at the next day or hours later. It is actively monitored 24 hours a day.”

Wyatt says she likes the idea of ​​additional protection, but says the person with a history of committing violent crimes shouldn't be taking to the streets in the name of public safety.

“I'm seeing real-time monitoring, but how long will it take you to get to the location, the last known location of this person?” she asks.

Wyatt has spent the last 20 years working with incarcerated men and women. She says trauma is a common theme among those who commit crimes.

She believes they need therapy and rehabilitation while incarcerated to break this cycle.

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