Houston Police Bracelets

[bitsontherun dXwf4Ufn]

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – A new small tool has been added to the crime fighting arsenal at the Houston Police Department.

Working  jointly with the county, law officers are using ankle bracelets to monitor the whereabouts of adults and juveniles who break the law.

People in Houston were scratching their heads about how to best deal with housing juvenile offenders.

City leaders feel ankle bracelets will save space and money, and even help lower truancy rates in an area where dropping out is common.

“So it going to help the department out a whole lot with juveniles, plus you know on tax dollars and stuff. It costs thirty dollars a day to house inmates at the county jail,” said Billy Voyles, Houston Police Chief.

Call it a baby sitter, for teenagers who must be confined to their homes with their electronic friend strapped to one of their legs.

“This bracelet just cost about five to ten dollars a day so thats going to be helping out the taxpayer too,” said Voyles.

And by the way, parents must foot the bill for the added electronic device.

“And if they are torn up or damaged any way, the parents and stuff will be liable for that,” said Voyles.

Once the wearer of the ankle bracelet travels outside of a given perimeter, a transmission is sent to the device that triggers a loud alarm.

Police get a signal too.

“Then we’ll give them time to get back into that perimeter, if they don’t they’ll notify the police department and we’ll go out check them out. And they have got GPS on them too,” said Voyles.

The bracelets are also provided to families requesting them, not just the police.