Windsor police thought Friday would be a symbolic opportunity to launch a pilot project that will give women at risk a new way of defending themselves against potential acts of violence.
The program launches as people across the nation gathered to remember the 1989 massacre at École Polytechnique in Montréal. Female engineering students were murdered by a deranged gunman.
Many in Windsor paid their respects to the shooting victims in Montréal and victims of violence in Windsor.
It's also a day to remind Canadians that violence against women isn't only something of the past. Police say it's still happening in Windsor-Essex at an alarming rate.
"It's very rare for us to come in in the morning, and not have someone in custody for domestic violence," says Det. Maureen Rudall of the Windsor Police Service.
Windsor police have launched a project that will provide seven GPS alarms to women in the community who need them the most.
"It’s one more tool that we have,” says Rudall. “Restraining orders aren't very effective. They're not worth the paper they're written on, so this allows her the extra layer of protection."
The devices are equipped with Google Maps software have two-way voice capability and will provide police with a way to track a potential victim's movements when necessary.
"So it not only allows us to track where she's been, where she is and where she's going," says Rudall.
Sandra Dominato is the women's advocate at Windsor Chrysler and says the new device will give victims the freedom and ability to leave their homes.
"Until you've been a victim, you take things for granted, and then when it happens to you, it's so shocking the things you lose," says Dominato.
Tom Rolfe of the Hiatus HHhhhhfgfddsHouse in Windsor hopes this technology gets adopted on a wider scale in the long-term.
"It's a major problem... a major human rights issue,” says Rolfe. “So we think it's really important to have this kind of technology helping us."
