I-Team: Mass. Judge Says GPS Bracelets Are Flawed
LOWELL (CBS) – In Massachusetts thousands of convicted felons are monitored by GPS ankle bracelets, but one Massachusetts judge says they are so flawed, she won't be using them anymore.
More than 3,000 Massachusetts offenders are on ankle monitors at any given time. It is known as the ELMO system. Among those offenders are people convicted of assault and sex offenders, like Gregory Lewis of Southbridge who went on a nationwide crime spree after cutting his bracelet off last year.
Judge Heidi Brieger's concern stems from false alarms she sees in her Lowell courtroom. In March she called a hearing after people were being arrested and put in jail for violating the terms of their monitoring. But the problem wasn't with the offenders, it was with their equipment.
"There are serious problems with the Elmo system…" Judge Brieger said according to a transcript.
The I-Team obtained data showing that in 2014 there were more than 5,400 warrants issued because of violations, curfew or "unavailable for monitoring."
The ankle monitors rely on cell service. Poor coverage areas and even a person going into their basement can cause the state to lose a device's signal.
Other times...it's caused by tampering with the bracelet or faulty equipment.
Judge Brieger asked an Office of Probation worker named Daniel Pires about the system. He said, "there are times where, you know, we will never know if it's just the GPS - you just don't know whether it's cell coverage, whether it's the offender that's actually blocking the signal purposely."
California used to use the same GPS ankle monitors manufactured by 3M for half the state until 2013.
Corrections officials there abruptly broke the contract citing faulty equipment. In court paperwork they said, "extensive testing…from February 2012 to April 2012 and found 3M's units to be inaccurate and unreliable."
Officials from the Massachusetts Probation Service issued a statement to the I-Team saying the GPS bracelet is both technologically advanced and cost effective. They say they are confident in their system and their equipment.
