If this, or any part becomes law, we (the friends, her students, her son, Griffin's classmates, and everyone else) request it be named "Griffins' Law".

After a recent tragedy in Glade Spring, VA that took the lives of a high school friend of mine (Kristin Griffin Palmer), her 17 year old son (Griffin Palmer), Kristin's mother (Nancy Griffin), and injured Kristin's father (Terry Griffin), it’s obvious that domestic abuse laws need to be stricter.

More info on the tragedy can be read at this link from WJHL in Johnson City, TN: http://www.wjhl.com/story/24814426/glade-spring-va-man-accused-of-abuse-prior-to-early-morning-shooting

The complete document can be found here on my Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203354170034656&set=a.1134742648431.2022713.1223261574&type=1&theater 

We would like everyone, from anywhere, to support this petition because, as we know, domestic abuse affects many people in all areas. We realize there are different levels of concern and not all cases would need this. But if there is verifiable physical evidence of abuse, this should be considered.

Proposal 1: If someone is served a legitimate Protective Order (with obvious evidence), that person, and residence be searched for firearms, and have them confiscated until the matter is resolved. Apparently, this person (Kevin Dale Palmer) had over 40, from reports we have seen. We think confiscating weapons is just a start. 

Proposal 2: We suggest an automatic psychiatric evaluation of the accused, which should also include interviews with the person's employer and other individuals that might provide evidence about the behavior of the accused. The accused should not be able to post bail until a report is complete and presented to the court. As more individuals are commenting on his behavior, it should not have been difficult to see he was a threat to society and himself. 

Proposal 3: If determined to be an obvious danger to anyone, we propose that the suspect be forced to wear a GPS ankle bracelet to track his/her every move. In addition, the petitioner (Kristin in this case) could wear a wrist bracelet or something similar that has her GPS location. A program could be developed where if the two coordinates get too close to one another, there's an immediate dispatch of law enforcement. Her GPS could be voluntary, but very highly recommended. If the person is in real danger, he/she shouldn't have issues wearing it if it means saving lives.

In addition, since GPS coordinates of locations where the petitioner may work (in Kristin’s case, Virginia High in Bristol, VA) and staying (in this case Kristin’s parents’ home) would already be known, they could also be included in the “alert zones”.

Since she taught at Virginia High School in Bristol, VA and her son, Griffin, attended Patrick Henry High School in Emory, VA, had they both worn a GPS tracker in this way, it would also protect the children in each school, which was also a main concern of hers in her final affidavit, which is attached. For others, it would help protect people they work with, if the petitioner should go shopping or anywhere it's within range.

(Note: If not already used, the GPS/school zone idea could also be used for convicted child predators getting near where children would be.)
 
Since victims cannot be possibly be watched 24/7, this would free up law enforcement to do other things, instead of answering every single call that is made. It would also reduce the number of "fake" or "bogus" calls (we know it happens) when someone is after another out of spite and the accuser is nowhere around. We realize calls that aren't legitimate are a waste of time and resources that can be used for other needed things, like helping those with real emergencies. In theory, if someone were to call in on an accuser and they actually aren't there, dispatch can ask why are they calling. And maybe just knowing this system is working, they will know not to try to make a fake call. This alone would save time, money and resources.

Another benefit, is that all the movements would be tracked and recorded and can be used as evidence in court, without the need of eyewitnesses. On the other side, if an accused has actually not committed a crime prior, it could also help in proving their innocence. We also realize there would be times the two (or more) people with the GPS may cross into one another's "zones" and not know it (depending upon range), so whenever an alarm showed up, one would have to visually look at the computer to verify if the accused is actually headed toward the alleged victim's location. If they are, a phone call to the alleged victim could also be placed to alert them. That part alone may have made a difference in this case."

 These stricter set of rules would apply to the obvious, evidence based cases and not all cases. We realize this would be somewhat costly, but we are talking about saving lives. In this case, an entire family. We can always come up with more money for units. No amount of money in the Universe can bring Kristin and her family back. We need to do something.

Thank You for your time and consideration.