Video: Value of GPS tracking units questioned after sex offender escape

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – They're supposed to be a great tool to track dangerous sex offenders. But ever since a Level 3 sex offender was able to ditch his Global Positioning Satellite ankle bracelet this week, questions are arising over how effective the devices are.

Convicted child rapist David Torrence just got out of prison Sunday and now is nowhere to be found.

In the wake of the brutal killing of 12-year-old Zina Linnick of Tacoma last July by another convicted sex offender, Gov. Chris Gregoire advocated spending millions of dollars to better track offenders on the loose. A big part of the program is tethering the most violent criminals with satellite tracking devices.

"We must be tough but we must be smart to ensure this new tool actually works to keep our families safe," said Gregoire.

It didn't take long for a Torrence to outsmart the system. He cut his GPS device and ditched it at a Lynnwood apartment complex.

The family of his rape victim tells KING 5 News they're outraged.

"Obviously, the ankle bracelet doesn't work," said the victim's husband.

Roxanne Lieb of the Washington state Institute of Public Policy says research is still unclear as to whether GPS devices are effective in preventing criminals from committing crime again.

"I think if people looked at GPS and says that solves all of our problems, I think yes, that's a false sense of security," said Lieb.

Anna Aylward of the Department of Corrections says the Torrence case shows the system works because officials were alerted hours after the GPS device had been tampered with. Without the system, it would have taken law enforcement more than a day to realize Torrence had gone missing.

"In this case, the system worked well. We were able to respond to and work with local and state officials very quickly without the GPS system," said Aylward.

Torrence is now the subject of a nationwide fugitive alert. Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is asked to call 911.

Level 3 sex offenders are considered especially dangerous because they are most likely to re-offend.

In the first three months of this year, the Department of Corrections released 34 level three sex offenders. Of those, 15 were listed as homeless.