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Saturday, November 07, 2009
Ind. Law - "Keeping track of sex offenders is not easy"
I thought this was a great story in the Nov. 6th Greene County Daily World, reported by Anna Rochelle. It gives a picture of all that is involved in keeping tabs on 70 sex offenders in a rural Indiana county:
Denise Andrew probably knows more convicted sex offenders and murderers than anyone else in Greene County, and they know her. She sees them or talks to them on a regular basis. It's all part of her job.As the Records Clerk at the Greene County Sheriff's Department, Andrew also serves as the Greene County Registrar for the Indiana Sheriff''s Sex and Violent Offender Registry.
"There's 70 people in Greene County right now who are registered," said Andrew.
She's the one who has been keeping track of them, for over 10 years now, and it's not a simple job.
"I think the public would be amazed if they knew how often we check on these people -- it's not just once a year," said Andrew, standing before several tall cabinets filled with files on each offender, past and present.
Click on the following link to see the location of the individuals in Greene County on the registry.
Most of the offenders who are required to register must register annually but Andrew says that's a minimum. They do not just show up once a year. The contact is far more frequent.
"Every three months, I send an update form to them by mail. They must sign the form and then they have to deliver it back to me, in person, here at the sheriff's department," said Andrew. "This way I know they are receiving mail at the registered address, and we see them. They have 10 days to come in here with the form."
In between mailings, someone will be knocking on their door to see if they are still living at the residence they registered.
"Deputy John Fowler goes out on a lot of the checks, also Deputy Rick Marques. They'll have another update form that both the offender and the deputy must sign, then the deputy delivers it back to me," said Andrew.
If the offender can't be located, or if they do not show up to return a mailing, Andrew contacts a detective to investigate.
"To stay out of trouble, they have to turn these updates in to me on time and let me know what's going on, if they have changes. I'm not exactly their friend, but I'm not their enemy either. I just try to maintain a good working relationship with them. They have to work with me," said Andrew.
Andrew says if an offender calls her and asks for an extra day or two to turn something in due to sickness or car trouble, she will agree to a short extension because they are staying in contact, but if they don't show up and fail to communicate, she doesn't wait around to hand their case over to an officer.
"As long as they keep in compliance with me, they won't be running in to a detective," said Andrew. "I've had a few who start out being very defiant with me."
Once they figure out all the reasons why it's in their best interests to get along with their registrar, Andrew says they become more cooperative.
"Some are so scared of getting in trouble again, if the last picture I have of them is with a beard and they shave it off, they'll call and tell me they shaved their beard," said Andrew.
Their picture is taken regularly. In some cases, the offender's photo is updated every 90 days.
Besides basic information on where they live, work or go to school, mailing addresses, phone numbers and photos, their file includes their physical description and any scars, marks or tattoos, their e-mail addresses, probable cause affidavits and other information from the courts on both new and old cases, descriptions of their vehicles with license plate numbers, as well as names of spouses and people they live with.
"We keep a lot more information on them than what the public sees online," said Andrew, referring to the Web site.
Andrew is logged in constantly to the Indiana Sheriffs' Sex and Violent Offender Registry online and makes daily updates.
"Seventy-two hours is the big thing -- they have 72 hours to notify me if they move. I'm very accessible. They know I'm here Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and they have my card with my e-mail address and phone number. If they move or make a change, I update the online registry immediately," said Andrew.
She also maintains a "Lobby List" for the public. It's a binder containing color pictures of each offender in Greene County who is required to register along with their status and basic information. A copy of the list is sent regularly to all law enforcement agencies in the county.
"Anyone who does not have Internet access is welcome to come in anytime and look through the Lobby List," said Andrew.
Andrew is available during regular office hours to answer questions not only from offenders but from the public.
"If you have a question or some concerns about an offender, or one seems out of place, call in. If you know of a violation, you need to call in, and someone will investigate," said Andrew.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 7, 2009 08:43 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts | Indiana Government | Indiana Law