Connecticut subcommittee reviews GPS alert program for domestic-violence cases, cites contact and alert-fatigue challenges

A Connecticut subcommittee charged with drafting a model policy for police response to crimes of family violence heard detailed briefings on the state’s GPS alert-notification program during its meeting on Nov. 6, 2025.

The program, managed operationally by family relations counselors and monitored by a vendor, is intended to support victim safety by notifying victims and law enforcement when a monitored defendant enters exclusion or mobile zones. "Actively as of yesterday, we have 311 defendants on alert notification GPS statewide," said Joe Detuno, director of family services for Connecticut’s Judicial Branch, adding that there are "313 victims currently participating, with 244 of those carrying a device." Detuno said family relations counselors participate at six points in each case: pre-arraignment screening, installation, case management, reporting violations, and program termination.

Why it matters: The subcommittee emphasized that the program’s public-safety aim is to reduce risk to victims and to inform law enforcement responses, but members also flagged gaps between written model policy and current statewide practice. Cochairs said the GPS section of the model policy (cited in meeting materials as page 20) needs updating to reflect how alerts, triage and follow-up currently occur.

How defendants are placed and who decides: Family relations counselors conduct risk assessments and identify statutory criteria for recommendation to the court. Detuno explained that the statutory criterion most clearly tied to GPS is a violation of a protective order, and that family relations recommends cases to…