Mr. Murphy, I decided to re-read your “ankle bracelet for ‘serious sexual offenders’ legislation” again and what I discovered is that what you say your bill does and what is actually written aren’t always the same thing. Experienced legislators should pay attention to these types of details.

For instance, you were quoted Nov. 11, 2005, on CummingHome.com saying that with HB 886, “These sexual predators will have to pay for this monitoring as a condition of their parole so it costs the taxpayers nothing.”

That’s not exactly true because HB 886 reads that the “fees may be waived for any person who is determined, under rules established by the Board of Corrections, to be unable to pay such fees.”

Now my question to you, Mr. Murphy is, how many sexual offenders right out of prison, will have $3000 a year to pay for their GPS bracelets? (You were quoted Nov. 4, 2005 in the Forsyth County News saying that the cost of the bracelets “would be from $3 to $9 per day” which would be as much as $3240 a year.) So, in many, many cases, when criminals can’t pay, taxpayers WILL be paying for their monitoring.

You were also quoted in the Cherokee Tribune, October 26, saying that “if the monitoring device is disabled, they (criminals wearing the bracelets) go back to jail.” Well, read HB 886 again, Mr. Murphy.

The bill does not say that the bracelet disabler goes back to jail. What it does says is that the GPS bracelet wearer “who intentionally tampers with, removes, or vandalizes a device issued pursuant to such a program shall be guilty of a misdemeanor on the first offense.” Usually, a misdemeanor doesn’t mean “go back to jail.”

Your bill does say that after the second offense or “subsequent time” the person who “intentionally tampers with, removes, or vandalizes a device issued pursuant to such a program shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years.”

I’m not for a misdemeanor and never will be for a misdemeanor when it comes to violent sexual offenders. These predators need to be punished. This part of the bill is unacceptable.

The points mentioned above are only two of the concerns that the voters in Forsyth and Cherokee have about HB 886. Our biggest concern is that this “Freedom Bill” will negatively effect our future by giving Pardons & Paroles and the Georgia Department of Corrections the ability to relieve jail overcrowding with this bill. This is also unacceptable. I will vote against any bill that lets violent sexual offenders on our streets to relieve jail overcrowding.

I’m a father of three young children and husband to a wonderful woman. I want to make sure that my family and the families of the people of Forsyth and Cherokee are protected from violent criminals and sexual predators. HB 886 isn’t the answer to keeping them safe.

Todd Tibbetts