Sierra Wireless announced Thursday release of the Omnilink OM500 ankle bracelet, an advanced LTE offender monitoring device that allows law enforcement agencies to better manage pre-trial detainees, individuals under house arrest, probationers and parolees.
The OM500 pairs with FocalPoint application software to create a turnkey, device-to-cloud solution. This solution helps agencies optimize resources and provides greater visibility and management of offenders’ whereabouts and movements to help law enforcement create safer communities
The OM500 features a patented no-speaker audio messaging system that allows agencies to send high-quality, custom voice commands in multiple languages directly to the ankle monitor to relay important information, such as reminders for upcoming appointments or notifying the participant of compliance issues.
The OM500 was designed to track—and communicate with— all types of offenders 24/7, indoors and outdoors. The OM500 signals offenders using vibrations, sound, and audio alerts, and receives offender acknowledgement in return. It can pair with Sierra Wireless’s optional RF and Wi-Fi Beacon to precisely verify in-home locations. OM500 uses the cloud-based software application, FocalPoint, to visualize, map and track offender movements and locations.
By providing visibility into offenders’ location and movements, the OM500 enables agencies to make smarter, more effective decisions. Improved mapping capabilities that reduce drift are designed to offer more accurate, real-time location data, while geofencing and advanced movement detection technology can be configured to alert officers if an offender has strayed from a designated zone.
The OM500’s advanced location tracking features can be useful investigative and crime prevention tools for law enforcement agencies when used in conjunction with the FocalPoint software. For example, officers can configure the software to provide alerts if offenders enter known crime areas.
Traditional offender monitoring solutions require participants to charge bracelets for up to two hours per day and have a limited battery life of 24 to 48 hours. The OM500 reduces charge time by up to 75 percent while increasing the battery life by more than double traditional alternatives. Reduced charge time and increased battery life help optimize agency manpower normally dedicated to charging-related issues.
Additionally, the OM500 can lower the cost of offender monitoring to approximately US$3.50 per day, allowing law enforcement agencies to redeploy budget to other critical areas.
The OM500 ankle bracelet was designed with the latest embedded technology. Using ultra-fast LTE connectivity, forward-thinking law enforcement agencies can rest assured that the OM500 will serve them now and in the future, as new technologies emerge. The OM500 tracking device can be controlled by the FocalPoint application or the FocalPoint mobile app.
“Without electronic offender monitoring, agencies often struggle to monitor and track the large number of offenders they are responsible for,” said Marc Overton, chief solutions officer, Sierra Wireless. “With the OM500, law enforcement personnel can monitor many offenders simultaneously, enabling government agencies to redeploy crucial department resources, improve efficiencies and make their communities safer.”
“The new OM500 has immediately impressed us all here at VSF. It is without question the new gold standard in GPS monitors,” said Rachele Smith, owner of the Austin, Texas based Victim Safety First (VSF) offender monitoring company. “After testing multiple devices for months now, we are excited to transition all of our clients to the OM500. There are so many new and useful functions, brilliant feedback and communication capabilities, with a battery life unlike anything we’ve seen in 13 years.”
