From News Channel 9: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill Tuesday to require courts to order domestic violence offenders to wear a GPS tracki
From News Channel 9: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill Tuesday to require courts to order domestic violence offenders to wear a GPS tracking device.
Both convicted and accused offenders will be required to wear the device until they no longer pose a threat to their victim or the public.
The law also provides the victim with a device to let them know if the offender is nearby.
“It will enforce a culture that shows we’re serious. And there are consequences. Because right now, it seems that it is a joke,” April Lamothe says.
It was only 6 months ago that April Lamothe got the news about her sister…
“They found her beaten, naked, and laying underneath her Christmas tree in our own home. With the no contact order. The guy called 911 in a place that he wasn’t supposed to be,” Lamothe says.
She says if Lawrence Goodine, an ex-Chattanooga police officer, was wearing a GPS tracker that night her sister died, she might still be alive.
“She could give us a call to because, she would know ‘he’s coming he’s close. I’m scared,'” Lamothe says.
A new Tennessee law would require a court to order domestic violence suspects to wear a GPS device in the state.
It also lets the domestic assault victim know when an offender is close.
“We consistently rank within the top 10 of states of women who are murdered by men,” Jennifer Escue says.
Jennifer Escue is the Chief Executive Officer at the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence. She says this will give victims a greater sense of security.
“They don’t have to see them, come face to face with them, to call the police. They can let them know, ‘hey, he’s outside my door right now,'” Escue says.
Representative Clay Doggett is the bills sponsor, he says the GPS tracking device is only required as a condition of the bond for the aggravated assault suspect (not for simple assault).
“I would like that law to also have language that says there is no discretion, it is a same reaction, or consequences for all. You violate this, you are arrested,” Lamothe says.
The law calls for the defendent to pay for the tracking device. If they can’t, it’s the local government’s responsibility.
As for Lawrence Goodine, his case is still waiting to be heard by the grand jury
