13 days ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - All 6,782 sex offenders currently on parole in California are being monitored by GPS. But the case involving Phillip Garrido shows the system is far from foolproof.
"We've never claimed (GPS) is going to end all problems with tracking sex offenders," said Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Gordon Hinkle. "That's not how the department looks at its use."
Parole Agent Bryan Nakayama demonstrated how he tracks the 23 paroled sex offenders under his supervision. Every day he reviews a map of each parolee's daily travels, looking for suspicious activity and curfew violations. But he readily admits the technology has its limitations.
"The GPS will only show you where they're at. It doesn't show you what they're doing," Nakayama pointed out.
For example, GPS monitoring showed Garrido spent a good deal of time in the area behind his home. Only after his arrest was it revealed the backyard is where he kept 1991 kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard and her two children that he fathered.
Parole Agent Mark McCarthy believes GPS mapping can't replace human interaction in the field. "You still have to rely on good, basic casework," he said.
Voters approved Jessica's Law in 2006, mandating that all sex offenders be tracked by GPS for life. So far, GPS tracking has only been implemented for sex offenders on active parole, and fewer than a third of them are monitored in near-real time.
Most paroled sex offenders are passively monitored with gaps in tracking and reports delayed by a day or longer. Garrido was among those on passive GPS monitoring.
CDCR spokesman Gordon Hinkle said the department would like to place all paroled sex offenders on near-real time monitoring, but lacks the money and manpower to do so.
by George Warren, GWarren@news10.net
News10/KXTV
