The Use of GPS in the Supervision of Sex Offenders and Pretrial Defendants in Maricopa County

SESSION INFO

Monday, August 19, 2019
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Session Type: Workshop

Community supervision of the sex offender population has always been a controversial issue. Advancements in GPS monitoring of this population have served to ease the minds of those concerned, and recent legislative efforts have aimed at requiring even stronger supervision of the sex offender population, with electronic monitoring as a key component. The Maricopa County Pretrial Division, which already had more than 20 years of experience supervising pretrial defendants, initiated an innovative program three years ago enabling the court to order that GPS monitoring be installed before a defendants' release from custody. This enhanced level of monitoring provides the court and community at large with a higher level of confidence, as defendants are subject to immediate supervision upon their release from jail. This presentation will show you how Maricopa County uses GPS monitoring in its supervision of both the sex offender and pretrial population. It will include a review of monitoring of points, the design of inclusion and exclusion zones, and the various alerts with response times.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Melissa Filas
Supervisor, Maricopa County Adult Probation

Taylor Pile
Probation Officer Supervisor, Maricopa County Adult Probation

Lolita Rathburn
Division Director, Maricopa County Adult Probation

Rodney Rego
Probation Officer Supervisor, Maricopa County Adult Probation


Rodney Rego has been a probation officer with Maricopa County Adult Probation Officer for 24 years. The last 12 plus years he has worked as a supervisor in a variety positions including most recently with the sex offender division. In addition to this, he is the program manager for the sex offender GPS program. He is also a Lead Faculty member with the University of Phoenix facilitating primarily Criminal Justice course at the local Phoenix campus. Taylor Pile has spent his entire career, 25 years, with the Maricopa County Adult Probation Pretrial Division. He has supervised the Pretrial Services’ Electronic Monitoring Program since its inception more than 20 years ago. Taylor has taken an active role in establishing program wide policies and procedures adapting to both changes in monitoring technology and program growth over the years. He has participated in countless trainings and media interviews on the pretrial division’s electronic monitoring program.