Survivors urge lawmakers to criminalize GPS tampering after repeated victim accounts

Senator Patrick O’Connor and Representative Michael Linsky urged the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to strengthen penalties for tampering with court-ordered GPS monitoring devices. Witnesses described cases in which abusers cut or disabled GPS bracelets and then located and assaulted victims.

Joe (last name not specified), a survivor who described repeated abuse, told committee members that his abuser “cut off his GPS at Logan Airport” and that “probation accepted this bogus story.” He said the system’s failure left him repeatedly exposed and unprotected. Tara Croce described a case in which her abuser damaged a GPS device’s charging cord, leaving him unknowable to monitoring systems for more than 24 hours and leaving her fearful and trapped.

Supporters urged either a mandatory minimum prison term in some proposals or judicial discretion to charge tampering as a felony, arguing severity reflects real safety threats. Joel Riddell and other counsel noted that several other states make tampering a felony and that the change would give courts stronger tools to deter repeat offenders.

Lawmakers asked prosecutors and probation officials about enforcement, and witnesses described gaps in existing supervision and the inability of probation officers to make arrests without warrants in tampering cases. Representative Steven Linsky and Senator O’Connor cited survivor testimony as the core reason for the change, while probation and sheriff officials sought to coordinate implementation and supervision changes.

No vote was taken. Committee members requested more information about implementation, judicial discretion, and interactions with probation procedures.

Ending: The committee will solicit additional technical language and return to the question of penalty levels and enforcement mechanisms.