COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new bill set to reshape electronic monitoring in Ohio has emerged in the wake of tragedy in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Named the Patrick Heringer Act, the legislation aims to close dangerous loopholes in the state’s management of electronic parolee ankle monitors — gaps made clear after two murders involved two men on parole.
State Rep. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison), a former Cincinnati police officer, is drafting the bill to require real-time surveillance of electronic ankle monitors for parolees. The law would mandate that any tampering or violations trigger immediate alerts to law enforcement — a response she says is overdue.
“Without public safety, nothing else matters, so everybody should be on board with this — everybody,” Abrams said.
Her frustrat