The center has been in full operation since June and there are currently forty-two Level 3 sex offenders being monitored by GPS. The system allows the monitoring center to not only locate the offender via GPS technology, but also to contact the offender directly at any time through a cellular enabled GPS unit that the offender carries while on the program. The offenders wear an ankle transmitter and their movements are tracked in five minute intervals, twenty-four hours a day. The tour was especially informative to Representative Keenan, who just the week prior had participated in a public hearing on Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and background check issues on the Judiciary Committee, on which he also sits. “GPS systems, like the one operated at the Probation Commissioner’s office, are powerful tools that our law enforcement and public safety officials can utilize to better protect our children and communities from dangerous predators,” said Representative Keenan, “This technology can prevent offenders from approaching potential victims, while at the same allowing the offender to serve out their parole in a manner that enables them to still earn a living.” On Wednesday, Representative Keenan joined his colleagues in overwhelmingly voting to endorse legislation that makes Massachusetts the 50th state in the country to join a nation-wide interstate compact that tracks adult offenders after their release from prison.
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