The world we live in can be a dangerous place, and more so as each new day passes. A Pennsylvania family is now living that unfortunate and painful reality. Glenn and Regina Raymond are helping to push a piece of GPS tracking legislation that they believe could have saved the life of their sister, Traci Raymond Miscavish.
We have already seen a rise in programs that deploy GPS tracking of offenders in various corrections systems, each with varying degrees of success. Those programs await either partial or complete overhauls that aim to improve upon the results being achieved. Perhaps confidence in these improved programs can carry over to another worthwhile application, GPS tracking of domestic violence abusers. Pennsylvania State Rep. Scott Conklin, along with Glenn and Regina Raymond, definitely believe so.
This past March, their sister, Traci Raymond Miscavish was shot and killed in a murder-suicide by her estranged husband and former state trooper, Mark Miscavish. He had
defied a no-contact court order after her divorce filing the week prior to the incident. In the proposed legislation, the courts would have purview to use GPS tracking of abusers in certain domestic violence cases. This is in close relation to programs already in effect in 21 other states.
The technology would consist of two basic components. A ankle or wrist mounted GPS tracking device for the abuser, and an early warning device given to the victim. The aim would be, at the very least, to give the victim a head-start in the event that their abuser was in the nearby vicinity. These devices would be deployed at the judge’s discretion, in the event that an abuser was released on bail or if they posed an ongoing threat.
This is, of course, an effective and responsible use of GPS tracking technology, and one that we see bearing fruit. It is simply a shame that it cost Traci Raymond Miscavish her life to bring light to the potential benefits of this program. Her legacy will go on in the future tragedies prevented by GPS tracking technology, in her name, in the State of Pennsylvania. Our sincere and heartfelt prayers go out to her family.
Source: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/07/08/3681356/conklin-bill-would-mandate-gps.html
We have more great articles on GPS technology in our archives. “GPS Tracking of Cabbies Causing an Uproar. Federal Complaint Filed.”
