State College Police Chief Thomas King says he supports a proposal by the Centre County District Attorney’s office to overhaul the county’s bail agency.
“Like other aspects of the criminal justice system, we need to take a look and see if we can use technology to either enhance criminal investigations or in this case help victims of crime,” King tells StateCollege.com. “We need to do anything in our power to keep victims safe.”
Last week, Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller outlined her plan in an interview with StateCollege.com. She argues it would address a major flaw in the county’s bail system.
Currently, the county’s bail agency is described as “supervised,” however the process only includes a phone call to a defendant free on bail to confirm their whereabouts.
Parks Miller says a bail system with more oversight of defendants, including GPS monitoring, would equal more protection for crime victims.
Specifically, there is technology available that would track a defendant released on bail and automatically notify a victim, the bail agency and police if the defendant violates a condition of bail. A condition of bail might include staying a certain distance from a victim’s home or place of work.
The technology could have been used in the case of Traci Raymond Miscavish who was murdered by her estranged husband after the court released him on bail. He then took his own life.
An electronic anklet could also monitor a defendant’s alcohol intake through perspiration. King says the device would be particularly helpful in pending DUI cases by keeping intoxicated drivers off the road and away from potential victims.
“I support what the DA is talking about and working with the courts, probation, and county commissioners. We all share the same goal and the same desire to make conditions as safe as possible,” King says.
King says he would like to see the Criminal Justice Advisory Board conduct a review of the bail agency.
“I think it’s a way of not filling up the jails … at the same time affording victims of a greater level of protection,” King says.
Parks Miller says the solution is to either completely overhaul the existing bail agency or create a new agency giving agents the authority to make arrests. The county would purchase the equipment. Offenders would pay a daily fee to use the monitoring devices.
King and Parks Miller say they do not fault the bail agency as it does not currently have the tools or authority to do anything beyond checking on a defendant’s whereabouts.
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