News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Overton County is taking bids for a new GPS tracking system to monitor certain nonviolent offenders.
Sheriff John Garrett said the program is only for arrestees with domestic violence-related offenses who are out on bond. County Commission Chairperson Darwin Clark said the program has been mandated by the state and will be run through the general sessions court.
“We’re going to be required to cover that cost,” Clark said. “What we’re going to do tonight is give the approval for the budget director to solicit bids for that and try to get the cheapest cost. And that’s going to be a challenge.”
Clark said the people required to wear a GPS monitor will have to pay a fee for the service on top of any other fines. Clark said the only time the county will be responsible for that cost would be if someone eligible for the monitor is declared indigent.
“Years ago when they had the Tennessee Probation and things of that nature, those clients would wear GPS monitoring,” Clark said. “But this is a new beginning for rural counties to have GPS monitoring in the general sessions court.”
Clark said the monitors should serve as a strong deterrent to criminals due to the extra cost they would be responsible for.
“A lot of time when somebody gets arrested in general sessions court, they don’t have a lot of money to pay their fines and costs let alone paying on top of that, too, for whatever that cost is going to be,” Clark said. “But we’ll have to wait and see.”
Clark said the county is eager to get into get the system up and working because the state mandate went into effect at the start of July.
