GPS Audit Released

After four months of operation Sheriff Wendell Hall requested an independent audit on his Global Positioning System (GPS) whereby the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office is supervising offenders placed in his program by the court. Sheriff Hall took over this program at the request of the clerk's office on April 1, 2006 and his officers have provided twenty-four hours a day surveillance and monitoring on each of the offenders required to wear the device. Although it's the court's discretion as to what offenders may be placed in the program the system is especially designed for those offenders who need to be watched more closely for the safety of the victim or the community. Many of the offenders have committed domestic violence or an aggressive act against a victim. Because of this Sheriff Hall invited the "Domestic Violence Council" of Santa Rosa County to appoint a committee to review all of his policies, practices, and methods of surveillance. Sheriff Hall wanted to determine if his program was doing all it could for the protection of the victim of these types of offenses. This group was approached because their members are made up of representatives from every agency that routinely deals with victims of domestic and aggressive violence. With that in mind, the DV Council appointed a three person team to conduct the audit to include riding with the deputies assigned to the program. The audit was completed in September 2006 and made available to Sheriff Hall and his staff. The entire report will be attached to this release but specific comments by the committee were, "victims report feeling their safety is increased enabling them to lead better lives" and "there is good coordination between the Sheriff's Department, the Probation/Pre Trial Release Office and the State Attorney's Office." In part their summary was "the Sheriff's Department GPS system has proven to be an excellent program for increasing safety of victims of violent crimes. The system commands offender accountability by providing immediate action by deputies." Sheriff Hall will take the results of this audit and incorporate their findings into his overall operations. He would like to extend his appreciation to the Domestic Violence Council of Santa Rosa County for their contribution to his agency and the community.