In a recent publication by the Journal of Offender Monitoring, the significant contributions of Donald Melton, a former engineer at BI Incorporated, were highlighted. As we reflect on his legacy, we remember his pioneering work in electronic monitoring systems that continue to shape the industry. BI is grateful for Don’s 25+ years of service.
Donald Melton, a longtime electrical engineer at BI Incorporated who was the driving force in the creation of many BI electronic monitoring system hardware over more than two decades, passed away in May. Don retired from BI in 2016 as Principal R&D Hardware Engineer, leaving Colorado, where BI is based, to return to his stomping grounds in Michigan, but his work at BI is still influential for the company and industry today.
Don holds many of the foundational patents within the electronic monitoring industry. As an electrical engineer at BI for more than 25 years, he was involved in all aspects of some of the original BI electronic monitoring systems, including design, product development, testing, and supervision of the manufacturing of devices.
Don had his hands in the creation of many of the most important BI electronic monitoring systems. He was involved in the launch of the BI Home Escort® 9000 system introduced in 1992; the BI Juris Monitor® system for individuals charged with domestic violence in 1995; and a cellular version of the BI Home Escort® 6000 system in 1995. In the 2000s Don helped lead development of a new generation of electronic monitoring systems, including BI HomeGuard® 200 and BI HomeGuard® 205 (cellular), and the introduction of tracking equipment that incorporated GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular technology to offer users detailed information about a client’s location and movement. These systems included BI LOC8® and BI LOC8® XT. He was also instrumental in the innovative design of BI TAD®, a device that continuously monitors individuals for alcohol consumption through a noninvasive skin sensor and also includes radio frequency monitoring capabilities. Don’s primary focus was on design and development, working on the electrical circuits, including microchips, microcontrollers, and other electronics, overall system design to meet safety and performance standards, and prototype development to evaluate design concepts and functionality.
In addition, Don and his team were involved in testing to ensure the electrical systems and components met specifications and safety standards, diagnosed and fixed issues, and developed maintenance protocols. And because of the critical nature of the products being developed in the fledgling electronic monitoring industry, he was deeply involved in the project management of these new systems so that they performed to the high compliance standards in the field, where quite often the individuals being supervised with electronic monitoring were trying to push the systems to the edge.
Electronic monitoring in the application of the criminal justice system began to be commercialized in the 1980s, following a judge in New Mexico dreaming up the idea for tracking of individuals from a comic strip series. BI Incorporated was founded in 1978 and taken public in 1983 by Michael Goss and Thomas Moody to develop such systems, and it was just a few short years later that Don joined the new company and helped greatly expand and advance the company’s efforts to bring devices to market to support criminal justice agencies.
The technology has evolved significantly since its inception in the 1980s, and Don and his colleagues were instrumental in modifying early devices, which were bulky and had limited range, to modern electronic monitoring systems that were more sophisticated, utilizing GPS tracking, wireless communication, and integration with centralized monitoring systems.
One of the major contributions Don made to the BI product line was perfecting two-technology tamper systems that incorporated proximity detection. This advancement helped overcome some early challenges of electronic monitoring systems—technology that is still in use today.
“He was a major contributor in making BI ‘the leader’ in the industry,” said Art Newsome, a longtime colleague at BI. “He was a brilliant engineer, a joy to be around, and a wonderful friend and father.”
“Don had his nose in everything at BI,” said Tim Waters, a fellow electrical engineer at BI who worked with Don for almost 20 years. “He was patient, detailed and a very bright engineer. He was always willing to listen to others on the team, and he really liked to solve problems.”
Virtually everyone who has been at BI for 15 or more years knew or worked closely with Don Melton—he was collaborative, mentored younger engineers, and focused on his mission to make products that served our public sector partners and the industry well. “He was a bright guy and very focused on ensuring that the products were fit for the community corrections market before they were introduced,” said Joe Newell, a fellow engineer at BI who joined the company in his 20s and worked under Don’s tutelage. “He was really a great asset for BI and the industry. The EM industry has lost a legend.”
Reference: https://civicresearchinstitute.com/online/issue.php?pid=13
