NEWARK – As the cases of juveniles who commit serious crimes after being released with GPS monitoring systems mount, Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose is asking for Essex County Juvenile Court judges to give more consideration to a youthful offender’s criminal trajectory for “the sake of public safety.”
“We have serious, repeat offenders being released time and again with GPS monitoring bracelets, only to commit more crimes while they are supposedly being monitored,” Ambrose said. “Something has to be done.”
One failure of the program, Ambrose said, is that the offenders aren’t always monitored 24 hours a day and police aren’t always notified when offenders violate the terms of their monitoring agreements.
“How do we keep the confidence of the community when these dangerous juveniles are arrested then released, and go right back to make trouble in the neighborhoods where they were arrested?” Ambrose said.
The director gave a recent example of 17-year- old T.D., who was arrested on a gun charge on May 30 and released with monitoring bracelet. He cut it off and a warrant was issued for his arrest on June 10. Police caught up with him on July 16, but he was released again the next day with a monitoring bracelet.
Within hours, he was at the scene of his initial arrest, violating his monitoring terms, and two guns were found at the address. Nonetheless, he was released again.
Ambrose said there have been 11 cases this year where juveniles wearing monitoring bracelets committed serious crimes. In one case, juvenile K.M., 17, was arrested for making terroristic threats, then put on a bracelet and was arrested again for simple assault and making terroristic threats. He was released again and was himself a victim of a non-lethal shooting while being monitored.
“When these kids are let loose and return to their criminal behavior it’s only a matter of time before they shoot someone or get shot themselves,” Ambrose said.
Another, N.J-S., was charged initially charged with aggravated assault and while being monitored was charged with attempted murder and possession of a handgun.
“These are ‘juveniles’ in age only,” Ambrose said. “In terms of their criminal activity and danger to the community, there is nothing tender about their years.”
One 17-year-old, D.K-M, has three weapons arrests after being monitored. One charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He is one of 26 juveniles who either had violated their GPS monitoring or committed crimes shortly after being taken off monitoring and have warrants out for their arrests.
One, 16-year-old F.M., has six prior arrests mostly for receiving stolen property.
“We have one offender (R.M., 17) who has six arrests, including three for weapons possession and three for distributing drugs within 500-feet of either a park or housing complex,” Ambrose said. “And he keeps getting out. Something has to change in this system. These juveniles are not adequately be held responsible for their crimes, and that is putting the public, and my officers, at unnecessary risk.”