Meetings more rare when sex offenders released

3-19-2013 Wisconsin:

Community notification of sex offenders moving into a neighborhood have become so commonplace that police are scheduling fewer community meetings. It’s the police chief’s call whether or not to have level three notification sex offender meetings. Superior Deputy Chief Matt Markon says they don’t make the decision alone.

Community notification of sex offenders moving into a neighborhood have become so commonplace that police are scheduling fewer community meetings.

It’s the police chief’s call whether or not to have level three notification sex offender meetings. Superior Deputy Chief Matt Markon says they don’t make the decision alone.

“We make a decision on whether to have a community meeting with a group of people that includes law enforcement, the local probation and parole office and the sex offender specialist out of Spooner. That group meets monthly at least to look at who is being released and what sort of notification needs to be done.”

The notification levels range from level 1, which would be law enforcement only to 3-plus. Three-plus would also include schools, daycares and health facilities in the area, plus a community meeting.

Sex Offender Registry Specialist Amy Jain in Spooner covers 11 counties and some, like Douglas, have what she calls TLPs or transitional living placement.

She says in areas like these, people are getting used to notifications that sex offenders will be living in their communities.

“We’ve had meetings where registrants are released to a TLP in Superior and about two people show up. Because they are so used to sex offenders or SPNs being released into those homes that most often those community members have already been to those meetings but they still do put a notification in the paper when ...continued... by Jessica Hamilton