ME- Sex Offender Registration Causing Problems for Agencies

9-10-2008 Maine:

MACHIAS/BANGOR (NEWS CENTER) -- The state's online sex offender registry is filled with more than 3,700 names. Each of those offenders is required to register with the local police or sheriff's office when they move to a new community.

Local law enforcement agencies say there is a benefit to registering these offenders, but they say keeping tabs on them is taxing their departments' resources.

Maine's Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act was signed into law in 1999. The state began requiring local departments to register offenders in 2006.

Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith has only 8 patrolmen to cover more than 3,200 square miles. Smith said the sex offender registration are cutting into the time his staff spends out on the roads. He said it usually takes about 40 hours per week.

"We collect the $25 dollars and send it to the state," Smith explained. "It's become a concern because we lack resources to begin with. This is an important part of what we do, it has to be done it's a large county, but a small community."

There are 100 registered offenders in Washington County. Maine State Police maintain the online registry, but it's up to local departments to keep track of offenders in their communities.

Smith takes that role very seriously.

"The last thing I want as Sheriff is that we failed to check on someone and they've re-offended," Smith said in an interview at his Machias office. "That is the worst case scenario."

The city of Bangor monitors more than 220 registered sex offenders who live, work and go to school in the queen city. Police Chief Ron Gastia says that's more than any municipality in the state.

"We're not getting any support from anybody for this," Gastia said. "This is entirely the responsibility of the city of Bangor, we're mandated by the state. We're responsible for finding the funding and manpower to go out and do this. It's been very much a challenge and very taxing on us."

Both Gastia and Smith say the state mandate should be accompanied by some additional funding.

State Representative Pat Blanchette (D-Bangor), a member of the criminal justice committee, say she doesn't expect that to happen.

"No!" Blanchette exclaimed. "We are not going to be able to fund municipalities for what they are doing because they are going to get some funding through the Adam Walsh Act which is a federal act."

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act became law in 2006. It ranks the severity of sex offender crimes. Blanchette says the state still hasn't committed to following that legislation. And that leaves departments to foot the bill on their own. ..News Source.. by WCHS6.com