Ohio lawmakers have passed legislation that would expand real-time monitoring requirements for certain violent offenders under post-release control, moving the measure one step closer to becoming law.

Background of the Bill

House Bill 667, approved by the Ohio House in a 96-2 vote on June 10, would require the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections to contract with a vendor to provide 24/7 real-time location monitoring of electronic ankle bracelets used for supervising offenders.

The bill now advances to the Ohio Senate, where it will undergo additional review and potential changes before any final legislative action.

Purpose of the Bill

Supporters of the bill say the changes are intended to strengthen supervision of individuals re-entering the community after incarceration for serious offenses.

The measure is named the Reagan Tokes and Patrick Heringer Act, referencing two Ohio homicide cases involving offenders who were previously under supervision.

Reagan Tokes, 21, was kidnapped, robbed, raped, and fatally shot in 2017 by an offender on post-release control who was wearing an electronic monitor at the time.

Patrick Heringer was fatally stabbed during a home invasion last year by an individual who had also been on post-release control and later removed or disabled an ankle monitor.

Provisions of the Bill

In addition to GPS monitoring requirements, the bill includes provisions requiring law enforcement agencies to enter warrants for offenders who abscond from post-release control into state and national databases within 48 hours.

Agencies would also be required to notify local 911 dispatch centers within the same timeframe when such warrants are issued.

Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.