MA- Sex Offender Tracking Program Provides 'False Security'

Simply said, neither GPS nor a online registry or residency restrictions will STOP crime. The public and lawmakers are laboring under a false belief if they think these measures will STOP crime.

11-6-2008 Massachusetts:

Team 5 Investigates Exposes Failures In State Program

BOSTON -- Team 5 Investigates uncovered serious problems in a state program that's supposed to be keeping track of some of the most dangerous sex offenders in Massachusetts.

NewsCenter 5's Sean Kelly reported Thursday that failures in the state's GPS electronic monitoring program have cost taxpayers millions and have raised serious doubts as to whether the program is making the public any safer.

Michael Bizanowicz is a convicted rapist. The state of Massachusetts lost track of him in 2004 and he went on to murder a mother and her daughter.

"When God finally calls, I hope he rots in hell," said the victim's father the day of Bizanowicz's sentencing hearing.

His case sparked fears among lawmakers who eventually signed off on mandatory GPS monitoring, without any hesitation or research. Now every single sex offender on probation or parole must wear one of the devices.

"No person in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should have to suffer at the hands of an already indentified sex offender," said State Rep. David Nangle, D-17th Middlesex, who drafted the 2006 law.

"Do we know if these save or are stopping any crimes?" Nangle said. "No, but I'd like to think they are."

Team 5 Investigates reported that taxpayers have shelled out more than $6 million for this program and lawmakers can't prove that it works. The majority of the state's most dangerous sex offenders are still not wearing GPS devices and when they do, the system fails every day.

"This is my second bracelet and this is my third or fourth phone in less than a year," said a level-two sex offender who agreed to talk to Team 5 Investigates on the condition of anonymity.

"They've called me at work on the work phone and they asked me where I am and I'm like, 'You called me at work,' " said the offender. He says this happens once and sometimes twice a work shift.

On the other hand, child rapists like Robert Sicari roam free because the state's equipment is so outdated it won't work without a landline phone.

Some sex offenders like Ryan Lovell just cut their bracelets off. And even when pedophiles like Raymond Guimond wear their GPS devices, it still doesn't stop them. Guimond, a level-three sex offender walked right into a Chuck-E-Cheese in Leominster, MA and started taking pictures of kids.

"It isn't a situation where as soon as someone steps out of a particular zone an alarm goes off, 911 is called and police officers swoop down on an individual," said Boston University professor Tom Nolan. "That simply doesn't happen."

Nolan is a former Boston Police lieutenant. "It's not going to prevent someone from offending if they are intent on doing so," Nolan said.

Dr. Carol Ball agrees. She treats hundreds of sex offenders and isn't aware of any scientific evidence that proves GPS monitoring works.

"Have you ever heard of a GPS monitoring system stopping a crime?" asked Kelly.

"From what we're seeing there's no evidence to suggest that it is deterring anyone from sex offenses," said Ball.

In fact, Team 5 Investigates found, in the last there years, almost 60 percent of all criminals on GPS violated their probation while they were being monitored.

And consider this: Only 3 percent (359 out of 10,591) of the state's registered sex offenders are actually being tracked. But they're not alone. Almost 250 people accused of a sex crime are forced to wear the device without even being convicted.

Attorney Beth Eisenberg at Committee For Public Counsel Services said she has a big problem with that. "I think as the law stands right now, it's unconstitutional," Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg is appealing to the Supreme Judicial Court to use "common sense" and strike this law from the books. "The law is unfair and it doesn't work," Eisenberg said. "It's a significant drain on the public fisc, the apparatus malfunctions and it's applied to people who don't need to be monitored."

Probation officials at the state agency in charge of the program won't talk to Team 5 Investigates about these problems.

"We respectfully decline to go on camera for an interview, however, if you submit your questions in writing, we'll be happy to answer them," said Coria Holland, communications director for the Office of the Commissioner of Probation.

Team 5 did submit those questions to probation officials, but after four months, the communications director never responded to the majority of our questions.

Despite the problems Team 5 showed Rep. Nangle, he still says the program is worth the money being spent. But he conceded his law may have gone too far.

"I didn't think it was for anybody but the level-three sex offenders," Nangle said. "That was my understanding. Now you may be correct, I don't know. Maybe it's something we have to step back and take a look at."

One of the few answers Probation officials did give Team 5 is they're changing the company that provides the GPS devices. But don't count on that improving the situation. The company chosen by Massachusetts was dumped by the state of New Jersey for problems with its technology. ..News Source.. by WCVB TV Boston