System to notify LV victims of inmates’ release

Keith Paul

Friday, Oct. 27, 2000 | 11:29 a.m.

Pat Byron knows her daughter would be alive today if she had been warned the ex-boyfriend accused of raping her had just been bailed out of jail.

Instead, Mary Byron was confronted by Donavan Harris in the parking lot of a Louisville, Ky., mall and killed on her 21st birthday in December 1993. Harris was convicted of murder, and Byron's death sparked the creation of an automated victim notification system.

The notification system -- Victim Information and Notification Everyday -- will become available in Clark County on Wednesday, Metro Police and county officials announced Thursday.

The VINE system started a year after Byron's slaying in her home county in Kentucky and has spread to cities and counties in 35 states.

"It gives a tool to the victims and that is so important because they are so very unempowered and this returns some control to them," Pat Byron, said from her home in Louisville.

The system automatically calls victims who have registered when suspects are about to get out of jail.

"She didn't know he got out. If we had known, we'd have surely gotten her out of Dodge," Pat Byron said. "We were assured if he got out she would be contacted. We felt very safe."

But Mary Byron was never notified of his release.

"I don't hold any grudges against the system," Pat Byron said. "That's just the way it was at that time. We've made it better."

The system has spread across the country as more police departments attempt to provide victims more protection and greater access to the justice system.

Victims, their families or others concerned about a suspect can register for the automatic call service by registering directly with VINE through a toll-free number. The VINE system is available in English and Spanish 24 hours a day.

"This will allow victims to make some decisions about their safety and the safety of their families," said Barbara Schell, program director of the Clark County District Attorney's victim-witness center.

The system will call the phone number provided by the victim about an hour before a suspect's release from the Clark County jail. The computer system will call every 30 minutes for 24 hours until the victim enters a personal identification number.

Victims can also get court date information from a 24-hour hotline, Schell said.

The VINE system will receive updated custody information about Clark County jail inmates every 15 minutes. The system will only provide information about inmates in the Clark County jail.

Schell said she hopes other local jails and the state prison system will go online in coming years. The system is already in place in Washoe County.

Metro officials and County Commissioner Erin Kenny have been working for several years to get the grants in place to start up the notification system.

"At one point we had a grant in place for the software, but didn't have the funding for the hardware. Then we had the grant for the hardware, but had lost the grant for the software," Sheriff Jerry Keller said. "But Commissioner Kenny didn't give up."

Kenny praised the work of Metro officials for helping her continue the effort to get the system up and running.

The start-up cost for the program was $18,500, and it will cost about $39,000 a year to operate. The program is funded through the end of fiscal year 2003.

Pat Byron still uses the system to check on the status of Harris, who is eligible for parole in November 2005.

VINE recently gave the Byron family $100,000 to start the Mary Byron Foundation for domestic violence prevention and education.

Victims and others can register with the VINE system for Clark County starting Nov. 1 by calling (877) 591-8463.

Byron was excited when she heard Las Vegas was joining the ranks of cities that have the VINE system, saying it was a step in the right direction.

"I can't think of a good reason not to use it," she said. "It's a little piece of satisfaction knowing that they will call you (when a suspect is about to be released) and you can take protective measures. I wish we had had it in 1993."

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