BI TAD Alcohol Monitoring Device Upgraded with Cellular Capabilities

The GEO Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, BI has announced the availability of an upgraded version of BI TAD, an ankle-worn alcohol consumption monitoring bracelet equipped with cellular capabilities.

A non-invasive skin sensor monitors the amount of alcohol consumed by community-based offenders. The BI TAD has been now introduced with cellular capabilities to be used by community correction centers. Local, state and federal correction officials will be able to access the monitoring levels since the data on alcohol consumption can be transmitted through wireless communication technology available through the HomeBase Cellular base station. The base station can be installed in the home of the offender in the absence of a landline.

The Vice President, Marketing of BI, Jock Waldo stated that the base station feature was developed since several households do not install landlines. The ankle-worn monitoring device can greatly aid community correction centers by providing vital data on offenders and the electronic monitoring feature of the TAD system enables the officials to check the curfews and the schedules of the offender.

Official report from the US Department of Health and Human Services indicates that as of June 2010, over one in four households in the United States, had just a wireless phone and did not have a landline. Based on the study, the HomeBase Cellular was certified by wireless phone carriers and approved by the Federal Communications Commission.

The TAD bracelet includes a sensor capable of detecting drinking events, which includes a base station at the home of the individual and a central host computer located at the company’s national monitoring center. The sensor detects the alcohol levels through sweat and vapor and the information is logged into the home base station. The base station wirelessly transmits the information to the host server. The supervising authorities issue alerts after cross referencing the data against the offender’s profile.

The BI TAD is a robust and waterproof device, designed to withstand challenging environments. The device weighs only 8 oz and has tamper-resistant features. The BI TAD is also compatible with other devices such as GPS tracking.