They can be used to track criminals to within a few feet at any time, electronic monitoring bracelets. Edmonton police say the device is the reason Travis Vader is back behind bars, and on Friday, the EPS gave CTV Edmonton an exclusive look at the devices.
On the evening of Saturday, February 28, EPS received a call from the RCMP after Vader allegedly breached his bail conditions. He was found on a rural property in Carrot Creek, east of Edson. Police say he was carrying a weapon, and non-prescription drugs. He has now been denied bail.
Vader was equipped with a monitoring bracelet at the time of his release, and police are crediting it with his capture.
But police are concerned about the future of the program. The bracelets are paid for with provincial funding. Officers in the Targeted Offender Section can’t say how many people are currently being monitored by the bracelets, but they can say that many of the offenders who are issued the devices are from other parts of the country.
“Fifty six per-cent of the high risk offenders released into Edmonton are transplanted from other parts of the country. These are not citizens of Edmonton,” Cst. Cameron Land of the EPS Targeted Offended Section told CTV, “We shouldn’t bear the brunt of the cost to monitor these people. We need to ensure that funding continues.”
Police will find out if provincial funding for the program will continue by the end of the month.
With files from David Ewasuk and Nicole Weisberg
