Police stay busy with sex offender site

What an unbelievable waste of taxpayer money for a glorified address book w/pics that tells everyone WHERE a registrant SLEEPS for a few hours of the day or night. There isn't a single research paper that proves, knowing where a registrant SLEEPS will PREVENT further crimes, or protect the public at all.

1-19-2011 West Virginia:

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Kanawha County's two "sexually violent predators," who are required to provide authorities with updates on their whereabouts every 90 days, last reported that they were living in homeless shelters in downtown Charleston.

While there are only 23 such "sexually violent predators" statewide, a total of 3,228 offenders overall are now registered in West Virginia.

Keeping up with them has becoming a big job for the State Police, with 639 officers responsible for that and a myriad of other duties.

The troopers stay busy updating the registry, which can be viewed on the State Police website, and looking for those who don't update their court mandated registration, said Sgt. Michael Baylous, spokesman for the State Police.

People convicted of sexually motivated offenses are required to register with the State Police as part of their sentences and must update their registrations once a year, or sooner if their information changes. They have 10 days to notify troopers of changes.

About 400 offenders have been added each year since the Sex Offender Registry's inception in 1993.

Those deemed "sexually violent predators" by the courts are required to update their registration every 90 days.

"An enormous amount of resources are dedicated to accomplish the task of maintaining the Sexual Offender Registry," Col. Tim Pack said in a statement.

Registering and checking up on the offenders can be a lengthy process.

Offenders must report to detachments in the counties where they live and the counties where they work or attend school to update their registration.


They must disclose information about their home, vehicle, occupation or school and e-mail addresses and Internet screen names.

A trooper updates the offender's information, takes fingerprints and snaps a new photograph. That process takes about 30 minutes.

The legwork begins in the days following the visit and can take an hour or more depending on the driving distance, Baylous said.

Troopers must travel to the physical address provided and also check with the postmaster to ensure the offender still receives mail at the address. Baylous estimated the total time required to update an offender's registration at about two hours.

"There's a misconception that they come in and update their information, we take their word for it and they're done," Baylous said. "That's not how it works. We have to go out to their home, wherever it may be, and physically verify all of the information they've given us."

The task is more difficult when offenders list homeless shelters as their place of residence.

As of Monday, six of the 339 offenders living and working in Kanawha County listed their addresses as 503 or 505 Leon Sullivan Way, which are adjacent men's shelters in Charleston.

One of those offenders is ___, who was convicted in 1997 of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct involving a girl in Florida. He is listed as one of Kanawha County's two "sexually violent predators."

___ is supposedly staying at the Crossroads shelter operated by the Union Mission, but a call placed there Monday went unanswered.

The other such predator is ___, a repeat offender first convicted in 1995 for sexually assaulting a male teen at gunpoint. He listed the Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center at 505 Leon Sullivan Way as well as GPS coordinates as his physical address.

A staff member at that shelter confirmed ___ was staying there on Monday.

Baylous said troopers visit whatever address or physical location the offenders provide to verify their whereabouts, whether it is a private residence, a shelter, or even the streets.

Another difficulty troopers face in keeping the registry updated is the possibility an offender has moved or obtained a new car or e-mail address without registering.

If an offender fails to register, troopers seek them. Baylous said the department depends a lot upon the public. It often receives tips from people who check the website.

Troopers arrested 1,250 sex offenders between 2008 and 2010 who failed to update their registration or register at all.

In 2009, the website received 2,000 to 4,000 visits per day. In July of that year alone, the website received over 100,000 hits.

"It works and people do look at it, but it's not an all-inclusive tool," Baylous said. "Just because someone isn't listed on the website, it doesn't mean there's not a sexual offender in the area.

"We may not know about them (an offender); maybe they moved here from out-of-state and they didn't update like they're supposed to, or maybe they just haven't been caught yet," the sergeant cautioned. "This is just another useful tool that can be used."

He said parents concerned about sex offenders should take an active role in their children's lives and in the community.

State Police welcome those with information on registered sex offenders to contact them if they notice any discrepancies on the website but to realize the updating process can take time. ..Source.. Ashley B. Craig, Daily Mail staff