High-tech Probation: County using ankle bracelets with GPS, alcohol-detecting capability

By Ted Sullivan Chronicle Staff Writer

Criminal offenders in Gallatin County will soon be wearing two new bracelets around their ankles- one that pinpoints their location and another that detects alcohol in sweat.

The separate electronic systems will help probation officers monitor offenders 24 hours a day on a Web site, allowing them to track their whereabouts and whether they’ve drunk a beer, officials said.

The intention is to deter offenders from violation a restraining order, entering a bar, drinking booze or going anywhere they aren’t supposed to be, officials said. The benefit comes from protecting the public and rehabilitating offenders in the process,

“The electronic-monitoring device that tracks a person’s whereabouts has GPS technology that will be used for high-risk offenders who can be released from jail on the condition they wear the bracelet”, said Eric Bryson, Gallatin County’s Office of Court Services director.

Ten bracelets will initially be used on a trial basis.

If the offender goes into an exclusionary zone; such as a casino or near and ex-spouses house, an alarm notifies a probation officer, and police can respond to the address, he said.

If it’s not serious, a page can be sent to the violator saying “Go Home”, “Call Me”, or “Your not supposed to be there”, Bryson said.

By looking at a map on a Web site, officials can review where an offender has been during any period of the day, said Andy Nebrigich of iSECUREtrac, which manufactures the monitoring system.

“It’s a great too”, he said.

The GPS technology, which is used in 40 states, also helps offenders follow court orders, said Harve Kaufmann of AquilaVision, which brought the monitoring system to Gallatin County.

“It gives them the opportunity to have a record of compliance.” Kaufmann said.

The other ankle bracelets uses transdermal analysis to sample an offender sweat every hour to monitor alcohol consumption. It is seen as a deterrent, forcing DUI and domestic-violence offenders to be accountable if they drink alcohol, Bryson said.

High-risk alcohol offenders charged with misdemeanors and Treatment Court participants will ear the device.

Eventually the alcohol detecting bracelet manufactured by Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc., will be used on offenders of all types.

Under the current electronic monitoring system known as “house arrest”, offenders provide a schedule to probation officers, and the system notifies the officers if they are not home during scheduled times.

The problem is, if the offenders aren’t home, there is no way of knowing what they’re doing or whether they’re drinking alcohol.

They could be at a bar stalking a person they’re not supposed to contact, or even leaving the state. And when confronted they can just lie and say they had a flat tire, forcing them to get home late.

“They new enhanced systems will take away nonsense”, Bryson said.