New law OKs GPS to enforce protection orders

The Governor signed an important piece of legislation into law on Monday that will further protect citizens from people violating restraining orders with the help of GPS devices. I think this is an important step forward after the terrible tragedy revolving around Cindy Bischof. I sponsored this legislation (Senate Bill 2719) and worked very closely with the Bischof family to ensure that we addressed all aspects of potential tragedies as they relate to domestic violence. As you can see, (check left side of above photo) I attended the bill signing ceremony in Chicago yesterday. The full article from the Sun-Times is posted below.




The Cindy Bischof Law | Woman killed after judge had no authority for device

Harassed by an ex-boyfriend who constantly violated court orders of protection, Cindy Bischof once asked a judge to make her stalker wear a GPS device that could warn authorities if he approached her home or job.

The judge said he didn't have the authority to do so, and on March 7th of this year, Bischof was shot to death in a parking lot outside her place of work in Elmhurst. Her assailant then killed himself.

On Monday, 150 days later, Gov. Blagojevich signed the Cindy Bischof law, which gives judges the power to impose GPS monitoring on anyone violating an order of protection.

The devices will automatically notify a monitoring service if the wearer violates "geographic exclusion zones" such as homes or workplaces, as determined by the court.

Monitors, in turn, will notify local law enforcement and send warnings via text or cell phone to potential victims.

"She was gunned down at work," said Bischof's brother Michael, whose family had worked to get the law passed. And though Bischof said nobody can be sure if this new system would have prevented his sister's death, "She would have been notified in advance and known he was in the area."

The new law could also give victims of domestic violence peace of mind, according to Bischof, who added that before his sister was killed she was terrorized for nine months and had to move several times.

"From this day forward, victims of stalking and harassment will gain back some of their personal freedom by finally placing the burden of movement on the offender rather than the victims themselves," Bischof said.

Blagojevich, who signed the bill in a ceremony at the Jane Addams Hull House Uptown Center, also dropped hints that he will soon be making extensive use of his amendatory veto power.