Once again, police are warning Vancouver residents about a sex offender who's disregarded the conditions of his release from prison.

Gerald Richard McLean, a two-time federal offender, did not return to his Vancouver halfway house for the third time in four years.

He's 48 years old, 5'7", and 175 pounds. He has a goatee and receding blond hair. A tattoo on his back says "prospector".

This very same offender—who has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child and a teenager—didn't return to a Vancouver halfway house in 2015 after being released from prison.

McLean also didn't return to a Vancouver halfway house in 2013.

Local residents should wonder why this guy keeps getting dumped in their city.

Last month, another federal sex offender, 300-pound Michael Hans Bopfinger, didn't return to his Vancouver halfway house. That prompted a VPD warning.

He was convicted in 2011 on five charges, including aggravated sexual assault and unlawful confinement, against three different sex workers.

In another example last month, sex offender Rene Troy Cardinal didn't return to his Vancouver halfway house. Cardinal was once convicted of manslaughter.

There have been others over the years who didn't return to their Vancouver halfway house. They include Richard Galt, who had four prior convictions of sexual assault against women and children.

The Vancouver Police Department has an excellent record tracking these people down, sometimes with the help of the media.

But given the frequency of these incidents, has the time finally come to look at technological solutions?

Why not implement GPS monitoring of someone like McLean, who repeatedly prompts public warnings?

Civil liberties groups would likely cry foul, but this approach has already been used in Alberta and Nova Scotia. 

Last year, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that forcing a convicted sex offender to wear a GPS anklet for life didn't violate a constitutional ban on retroactive punishment.

Here in B.C., there's a new solicitor general, Mike Farnworth, who might find this idea appealing.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is the MP for Vancouver Granville. This means she'll suffer the political consequences if someone like McLean reoffends because police had trouble finding him.

If the courts are already imposing electronic monitoring on low-level offenders sentenced to house arrest, it's hard to argue against tracking convicted child rapists with GPS who happen to be living at Vancouver halfway houses.

It would free up police resources and put the community's mind at ease.