CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are using a nearly two-year-old program to help prevent hundreds of crimes and catch some crooks red-handed.

The police department started its electronic monitoring program in February of 2007. In that time, hundreds of people awaiting trial on typically violent crimes were released and tracked via ankle bracelet wherever they went.

“It is a management strategy that helps us prevent crimes, it helps us reduce crimes," Deputy Chief Ken Miller said.

The ankle bracelet can be tracked use GPS satellites or a triangulation of three cell phone towers. Alerts are sent if an offender does not follow the rules set forth by a judge when released on bail.

There are currently more than 170 suspects awaiting trial on the monitoring program. 11 are under 16 year old.

221 people are no longer being monitored, and considered closed cases. There are 417 people in custody awaiting a bracelet.

CMPD officials said monitoring helps to deter those who wear the bracelets from committing more crimes. However, the monitoring program can help catch and convict suspects who do commit other crimes.

Officer Gunter explained a recent suspect caught stealing a car who was wearing a bracelet.

“He was on foot until he got to the check-cashing place at which time, when he was in the stolen vehicle, we could track the speed at which he was traveling,” Officer C.N. Gunter, who is part of the monitoring unit, said. “The vehicle ran out of gas … at which point he abandoned the vehicle and started to leave on foot."

Officials said it works on the other side as well. 104 people wearing the bracelets were eliminated as suspects because the bracelet confirmed they were not at the scene of the crime.

One 20-year-old former high school football star said life was hard for him when he spent two weeks in the Mecklenburg County Jail.

Police requested that the young man’s identity stay undisclosed since his armed robbery charges are still pending, but he said he prefers the monitoring bracelet to incarceration.

“It’s a lot better than being locked up in this jail, because I hated it there,” he said. “That was the worst experience of my life.”

He said the bracelet is uncomfortable, but it allows him to go to work and school. But at 6:00, he must head straight home. He said the bracelet is helping him get back on track.

“I had a goal set for myself and I strayed away from it,” he said. “By me being on the monitoring and being out of jail, it gives me a shot to prove that I’m not this man that I may look to be right now. I’m a totally different character and I want to prove it to everybody.”

Officer Braithwaite and three other officers keep tabs on over 170 robbery suspects currently being monitored with the bracelet.

“He’s been doing pretty good,” Braithwaite said. “He’s one of the very few who said he’s going to do something upon being released and he’s pretty much put forth that effort.”

CMPD leaders said electronic monitoring is expensive. There are four officers assigned to the program, and each bracelet costs $1,500. The police department said it can't afford everything on its own.

“To date, we have provided $110,000 worth of funding," Ann Henegar, Executive Director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation, said.

The non-profit group provided the grant for the program.

“We are just thrilled with its success,” Henegar said. “People can see on a daily basis how this program is really helping curtail the chronic offenders.”

Police said this funding and support is critical.

“If we didn't have this program, [suspects] would be out on this street with no monitoring because they made bail," Miller said.

The police foundation still needs $140,000 to fund the program, which would allow the police department to monitor more offenders.