6-18-2009 Louisiana:
DeRidder, La. -
The new sex offender registration that Sheriff Ricky Moses promised during his 2008 office campaign is holding up to its hype.
“All Beauregard Parish offenders are in compliance with the regulations so far,” says Deputy Ronnie Cooley, “and the program is running very well.”
Cooley, along with his partner Deputy Robert Butler, oversees the registration and tracking of all 116 registered sex crime offenders within Beauregard Parish. Each offender is required by law to check in with the deputies and register their information within three days of being released by the Department of Corrections (DOC). In some cases, .Cooley says that the offenders are registered so quickly after being convicted that they are put into the system even before they begin serving their time behind bars.
Can someone, anyone, tell me why the PUBLIC needs to know about sex offenders IN PRISON? I'll bet this registry shows a few CLUSTERS of sex offenders, each being a prison or jail! Why would anyone be so proud of stupidity?
The database not only records the offender’s name and address, but keeps an updated photograph of the offender as well, along with any noticeable marks or tattoos. Any vehicles registered to the offender are listed, including the make, model and color. All this information may be viewed by residents at the website sheriffalerts.com and community members may even sign themselves up to receive email alerts on registered offenders. “This website will automatically let you know anytime a registered offender moves in or out of an area,” explains Cooley.
According to Deputies Cooley and Butler, the website is updated on a daily basis, even in some cases twice a day, to ensure that all information is current and correct. “We are the only two who can do that,” says Butler, “we are the responsible parties for this information.”
Aside from keeping the website and database information current, the two deputies also travel out of their office to personally check on the physical addresses and work information given to them by the offenders. “We personally go out and make sure that they are living where they tell us and working where they tell us,” says Cooley.
While the website itself is a convenient source of information, the two officers also make a point to personally see that the community members are aware of offenders in their areas. “If someone is deemed a sexual predator then we make a personal visit to the schools in that area and inform them of the offender and provide them with pictures and information on them,” says Butler. The officers also make sure that the parish school board office has a listing and photograph of all registered offenders, as well as the custodians of public parks in the area. “Part of our job is to keep the community safe and increase awareness,” says Cooley.
The deputies have received a lot of positive feedback from the community because of their efforts, and both deputies say that this helps them continue their hard work. “We have had many people tell us they appreciate this program and what we do,” says Butler. “We also have people call us directly with questions and we are happy to provide them with as much information as we can release to help them out.”
The program has been running so well that a new addition was implemented at the end of 2008 that also allowed the deputies to handle the offenders released on probation and parole.
“Before, those cases were not really in our area to handle,” explains Cooley, “but now new laws are allowing us to handle those as well and it helps us to keep a better track of all offenders.”
According to the Louisiana criminal laws, any offender who does not register and follow the guidelines set before them based on their conviction level will be facing stringent penalties. A first offense can bring with it a maximum fine of $1,000 and imprisonment with hard labor for no less than two years without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentencing. A second or subsequent conviction of non-compliance will bring with it a fine of $3,000 and imprisonment with hard labor for no less than five years without the chance of parole, probation or suspension of sentencing.
There are three tiers for which the offenders are ranked, with the lowest level requiring a once a year registration visit to the officers and the highest carrying a visit every 90 days.
Sheriff Moses implemented the program after taking office on July 1, 2008 and was even able to entice Cooley to return from retirement to help run the program. “This is the best program that I have seen,” Cooley concludes. ..Source.. by Pamela Hickman, Beauregard Daily News
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