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Go Go Gadget Sex Offenders!
All 6,622 Sex offenders on parole in the state will now be hooked up to and monitored by a GPS system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced today. According to a press release, those individuals have now been "fitted with an ankle bracelet that transmits its location to parole agents, who also visit [them] on a routine basis." The program is the result of Jessica's law, which was passed on the ballot in 2006 as Prop 83, and it requires "that every paroled sex offender be monitored by GPS." The system was meant to be fully implemented by June 2009, but they're now 6 months ahead of schedule--a rare accomplishment in this era of state-level stagnation. The CDCR may next move to using GPS to track gang activity, although our budget may make this a more long-term plan. Another reason to be a proud Californian? Tripling Florida's meager 1,800 GPS units, our state is now "the nation's leader in using GPS technology to track sex offenders."
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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