Ohio politician proposes sex offender tracking device
An Ohio lawmaker is proposing his state help its citizens track the locations of registered sex offenders by using RFID technology.
The technology, known as "Offendar," was developed by a company in the state. A tracking chip is placed in the monitoring bracelet of sex offenders, and when one is within 50 yards of a special key fob, the device vibrates.
Supporters of Offendar say that the device provides an easy method for concerned individuals to know when one is nearby. According to one of the investors in the project, "it gives you an opportunity to gather your family, get in the car and lock the doors."
Opponents see it differently, calling the idea "absurd." One of them, Ohio Justice and Policy Center executive director David Singleton, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that such a concept would practically retard these offenders' re-entry into the general public as productive citizens.
Furthermore, even those that advocate stricter sex offender laws are against it, saying it perpetuates the myth that sex crimes are committed by strangers. They're not: 90 percent of cases involve someone the victim knows.
Nevertheless, Republican Senator Timothy Grendell is leading the charge in Columbus to have the company's position be heard. In hearings being held Friday, the company will present its technology to lawmakers.
He sees it as a more plausible way of identifying sex offenders: a bill earlier had suggested those convicted would be forced to display green license plates on their cars. It was shelved due to fears of attacks on those with the plates.
Current proposals may put the detection device automatically in schools and day care centers, although it has not been decided which of the state's 16,000 offenders will wear the bracelet.
The technology is still under development, and it is yet uncertain if it will work. However, Grendell is ready to test it out.