SCHENECTADY COUNTY GPS monitoring in domestic violence cases proposed BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com.
The chairwoman of the Schenectady County Legislature has introduced legislation to add GPS monitoring as an option of probation in domestic violence cases involving restraining orders. Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said the county Legislature will take up the legislation at its June meeting. If approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature, Schenectady County would be the fi rst in the state to offer the option, she said. The courts can make electronic monitoring a condition of probation. Vito C. Caruso, administrative judge for the 4th Judicial District, which covers Schenectady County, said he was unaware of Savage’s legislation and that she did not consult with him prior to introducing it. “No one has approached me. It is not something I have discussed with my judges yet,” he said. “I don’t have an opinion. Whether this is one we will take up or not, I do not know.” Under the proposed legislation, Schenectady County would provide the devices and staff to monitor them; the proposal sets aside $50,000 for these purposes. The county will add approximately $40,000 to the Department of Probation’s budget next year for the program and use savings to offset the $10,000 cost to implement the program for the remainder of this year, county offi cials said. ...............>>>>...............>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01000&AppName=1
SCHENECTADY COUNTY County OKs GPS monitors after domestic abuse BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Schenectady County judges will soon have the option to make offenders convicted of domestic violence crimes wear GPS monitoring bracelets as a condition of their probation. County legislators unanimously passed a resolution setting aside $40,000 to purchase the devices. The county’s Probation Department will use the bracelets exclusively to monitor those individuals on probation for domestic violence offenses. “An order of protection is just a piece of paper,” remarked Susan Savage, the Legislature’s chairwoman and the sponsor of the resolution. “This is one more way we can protect those who have been victims of domestic violence.” Savage said the devices could help reduce recurring instances of domestic violence throughout the county. She said about 18 percent of the crimes committed in Schenectady County are related to domestic violence. “That’s not a rate we’re very proud of,” she said during the Legislature’s meeting Tuesday. County officials say the legislation is the first of its kind in the state. While many other communities use the monitoring devices, county spokesman Joe McQueen said none have deployed them specifi cally to monitor domestic violence offenders. McQueen said about a dozen cases in the county could be eligible for the devices, which could be put into operation within the next month. The monitoring systems would assigned at the discretion of the presiding judge. GPS devices can attach to a person’s arm or leg and can be rigged to sound an alert when the wearer enters an exclusion zone. Schenectady County already uses the devices to monitor sex offenders on probation. ..................>>>>.......................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01403&AppName=1
Re the June 9 article, “County OKs GPS monitors after domestic abuse”: Kudos to Schenectady County Legislature Chairwoman Susan E. Savage for taking action on such an important issue. Her proposal to make global positioning system tracking devices available to judges, to use as a condition of probation for domestic violence offenders who have an order of protection against them, is an important step in keeping victims safer. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 1.3 million American women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner every year. According to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, in 2008, 71 percent of female homicide victims 16 and older were killed by an intimate partner. Domestic violence is a life-or-death issue that affects millions of people every year. While many elected offi cials talk about domestic violence as a troubling problem within our community, I am glad to see Susan Savage is actually taking a concrete step to combat the problem.
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