A new law in Tennessee went into effect Monday requiring GPS tracking of the most violent domestic offenders. Born out of an unspeakable tragedy, the law is the first of its kind in the US
On April 12, 2021, Debbie Sisco and her daughter, Marie Varsos, were shot and killed outside of Nashville by Marie's husband, Shaun Varsos, who then committed suicide.
Varsos burst into his mother-in-law's house, where Marie was staying, with guns, neckties and battery acid at the ready to hunt them down.
He had been out on bail after strangling his wife and threatening her with a gun a month earlier.
Alex Youn, Marie's brother and Debbie's son, was devastated.
“Two people that I love very much were taken from my life so quickly,” Youn said.
Varsos was considered enough of a threat that the judge could have required a GPS tracking device as a condition of his bail, but he did not. You believes her mother and sister could still be alive if the judge had required it.
“That's a question for the judge. It's one that makes me angry,” Youn said.
Judges can require GPS tracking as a condition of bail, but often don't.
Youn turned her pain and anger into a successful push for mandatory GPS tracking of aggravated assault offenders in domestic violence cases. Tennessee's new law is called the Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act.
According to the CDC, one in four women and one in seven men are victims of domestic violence.
“When there are firearms involved, when there is strangulation, when there is heightened harassment, [offenders] she's more likely to do it again,” said Jennifer Waindle, deputy director of the nonprofit Battered Women's Justice Project.
This is how GPS tracking could be the difference between life and death. With the technology, victims are notified via a phone app or electronic device when an offender violates a protection order, such as moving within a certain radius of the victim or violating an exclusion zone, such as their home . When this happens, the victim may receive multiple alerts, including text messages and emails, while a control center calls law enforcement.
Ray Gandolf, director of business development for Tennessee AMS, is helping to lead the charge on the use of GPS technology as a safety tool.
“Every second counts,” Gandolf said.
Gandolf said the alerts can allow victims to seek help or find cover. “They can get to a safe place, lock themselves in a place where they have an opportunity to call 911 and get help right away,” Gandolf said.
In Tennessee, Youn has made sure the names of Debbie Sisco and Marie Varsos live on.
“I'm hopeful that other states can look at what Tennessee is doing and take it and implement it in other states as well,” Youn said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting ” START” to 88788.
Meg Oliver
