MONITORING "The New Standard For Monitoring Offenders"
The Monitoring Center stands alone with its ability to track and interact with offenders. “We keep in close contact with supervising officers to ensure that we provide the highest level of service and support. Our operators are literally our customer’s ‘eyes and ears,’ they act as the officer’s personal assistant,” said Michael Acton, chief financial officer.
The Monitoring Center features active violation intervention. When an offender violates any of their restrictions set by their supervising officer, an alarm is sent to the Monitoring Center. Actively responding an operator immediately contacts the offender through the TrackerPAL, “this is the Monitoring Center, we see that you have entered an exclusion area, you are in direct violation of your parole, your supervising officer will be notified.” Following offender specific protocols, the operator will then inform the supervising officer.
An example of the power of the Monitoring Center is an instance in Pennsylvania. A parole officer received a voicemail on his work phone from a hysterical offender stating that she “intended not to go to her group therapy, but was headed for the hospital instead.” Faced with the thought of returning to jail, the offender had taken 20 to 25 Klonodine pills, and slit her wrists, but then had second thoughts. After recognizing the hysterical voice in the message, the parole officer immediately called the offender’s cell phone, but there was no answer. A co-worker contacted our Monitoring Center and we were able to determine where the offender was at that exact moment. A Monitoring Center operator was also able to talk directly to the offender as well as hosting a three -way call with her parole officer, all through the device. While calming her down, the officer sent state troopers to her location. At the scene, the troopers found the offender with slashes up and down her left wrist. Paramedics arrived at the scene and the offender was immediately taken to the hospital.
“The Monitoring Center is where everything comes together. Officers set the restrictions and protocols; the TrackerPAL and TrackerPAL II track the offenders and enable the operators to enforce the protocols, interacting directly with the offenders. They are on the front lines, whether it’s correcting offenders behavior or providing positive affirmations, it all happens in the Monitoring Center,” Acton continued.
The Company recently expanded its reach in creating several satellite Monitoring Centers both domestically and internationally. “By creating a system and infrastructure that is flexible and adaptable, and staffing the centers with local personnel, we are able to better address the specific needs of these agencies. These agencies, both domestic and international, represent large market opportunities,” explained Acton.
The Monitoring Center assists supervising officers, lifting the burden of constantly tracking offenders. “Other products require time in front of a computer, but with the Monitoring Center I can spend the majority of my time away from my desk. Whether on stakeouts or while doing other investigative work, I know the Monitoring Center has my back,” said Arnold Virgilio of the Citrus County Sheriffs Department in Florida.
Working closely with each officer, Monitoring Center operators are able to help agencies enforce restrictions and assist in their rehabilitation efforts.