GPS Monitoring Change for Juvenile Offenders

A new attempt to clamp down on repeat juvenile offenders or prevent those in the system for the first time from racking up new offenses.

A big announcement was made by city and county leaders at the Children's Court Center in Wauwatosa.

Technology will now be used to monitor high-risk juvenile offenders.

The Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services are part of this agreement. Officials say the teens wearing the GPS technology will be monitored 24/7.

While MPD reports that crime has gone down across the city in the last year, they say juvenile crime is up by 29 percent.

This technology aims to reduce repeat offenders and make sure teens are following strict court-imposed restrictions. 

"We often times only have conversations about making communities safer is by having this whole idea of being tough on offenders. We want to start a conversation about how is it that we can share information and be smarter about making our community safer," says Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, the Common Council President.

The common council passed a resolution on this agreement in April and officials believe this will bring the juvenile crime numbers down.