JACKSON, Miss., March 15 (UPI) -- Mississippi and Alabama are outfitting social workers with Global Positioning System tracking devices to ensure their safety on the job.
The devices, implanted in case workers' cell phones, allows the home office to track the location of the workers in the field and allows the holders to call for help with a "panic button" on the phones, Stateline.org reported Thursday.
Don Taylor, executive director of Mississippi's Department of Human Services, said the technology, which is widely used in law enforcement and by commercial field workers, could attract a new generation of tech-savvy college graduates to the social work field.
Bud Douglas, head of information technology for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, told Stateline.org the devices also increase efficiency by allowing social workers to use them to take photographs and send instant case reports to the home office.
Alabama Commissioner of Human Services Page Walley said he convinced Gov. Bob Riley to adopt a program similar to the one in Mississippi after discussing the devices with Douglas, Stateline.org reported.
