ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A week after a judge removed an ankle bracelet from a man accused of assaulting his girlfriend, Rochester police say the man killed his girlfriend. The story by News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean prompted a series of questions from a county lawmaker today.

“I’d like to know why we’re reading about electronic monitoring systems that don’t have GPS,” said Rachel Barnhart, (D) Monroe County legislator.

Barnhart represents part of the city and Irondequoit in the county government. She sent a letter to the county executive today with a list of questions she wants answered.

At the August 22 hearing for Walter Balkum, Judge Karen Bailey Turner said, “What I’m hearing with Monroe County Pre-trial — and I know it’s been an issue — is that there’s no GPS.”

Susan Nichols from the county’s Pre-trial supervision said “The only type of home monitoring that we do is home confinement. We have no GPS.”

Later, the judge said, “the Court wants to know, where is Mr. Balkum?”

The system that supervised Balkum could not track him when he left home. Five days after the hearing, Balkum’s girlfriend was beaten to death and he was charged with manslaughter.

“There are questions whether an electronic monitoring system would have even prevented this tragedy,” Barnhart said. “Especially if there’s no GPS.”

Even Balkum’s lawyer expressed confusion about the ankle bracelet.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “What good was the ankle bracelet if he was allowed to go anywhere and it didn’t track where he was going?”

Ted Barraco, Balkum’s attorney: “That was the point. I didn’t realize and he didn’t realize that there was no GPS in the ankle bracelet.”

Berkeley Brean: “What is it that you want to know?”

Rachel Barnhart: “I think we need extensive information about electronic monitoring systems, especially when I’m reading a court transcript when the right hand doesn’t seem to know what the left hand is doing. If a judge doesn’t understand this technology, what is really going on here?”

News10NBC talked to the county about these ankle bracelets. It says the court is the one that imposes the bracelets.

“Probation and pre-trial have the ability, but not the power, to place someone under any form of electronic supervision. That can only be done by a court,” county spokesman Gary Walker wrote. “Mr, Balkum repeatedly violated the conditions of his release, resulting in written non-compliance reports that were sent to the District Attorney’s office, the individual’s attorney, the clerk of the court, and the judge’s law clerk. The court was aware that RUS/EM (Release Under Supervision with Electronic Monitoring) terms did allow for the movement outside the home as detailed above.”

At the end of Barnhart’s letter she writes there are so many questions, it might be better if the county produce a presentation for all lawmakers.

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