Domestic violence: Tennessee introduces first-of-its-kind GPS tracking law in US
Representative image: GPS tracker
A new law in Tennessee that took effect on Monday (July 1) requires the GPS monitoring of the most violent domestic offenders. This first-of-its-kind law marks a significant milestone in efforts to combat domestic violence.
The Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act is named after Debbie Sisco and her daughter Marie Varsos. The mother-daughter duo was killed outside Nashville on April 12, 2021, by Marie's estranged husband Shaun Varsos who broke into his mother-in-law's house equipped with guns, zip ties, and battery acid to hunt them.
Just a month before the murders, Shaun had been released on bail after strangling his wife and threatening her with a gun.
GPS devices
Although judges in Tennessee have the discretion to require GPS monitoring as a bail condition, it is often not enforced, reports CBS News.
Alex Youn, Marie's brother and Debbie's son, said "Two people that I love dearly were just quickly ripped out of my life," and that he believes that if a GPS tracking device had been mandated as part of Varsos's bail conditions, his mother, and sister might have still been alive.
Youn channelled his grief into advocating for mandated GPS tracking of aggravated assault offenders in domestic violence cases, and his efforts culminated in the passage of the new law.
Domestic violence in the US
According to the CDC, one in four women and one in seven men experience domestic violence.
Jennifer Waindle, deputy director of the non-profit Battered Women's Justice Project, highlighted the importance of GPS tracking in such cases.
"When there's firearms at play, when there's strangulation, when there's elevated stalking, [offenders] are more likely to do it again," she said.
The GPS technology, as per the report, provides victims with alerts through a phone app or electronic device if an offender violates an order of protection, such as moving too close to the victim or breaching an exclusion zone. These alerts, which include texts, emails, and calls to law enforcement, can provide the victims with crucial time to seek safety.
(With inputs from agencies)
