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Sex Offenders Missing From DPS Database
Agency Says Many Sex Offenders Fail To Re-Register
POSTED: Thursday, February 25, 2010
UPDATED: 10:08 pm CST February 25, 2010
"Most of these offenders are with convictions dealing with a child and they're still mostly dangerous," said Investigator Armando Diaz, with Bexar County's Sex Offender Registration Program. "The only way we find them is if somebody (brings) it to our attention. Family members, victims or anything like that can give us any kind of information."
A change in the law in 2006 required sex offenders convicted of sex crimes back to 1970, to register for life.
But before the change took effect, prior offenders were taken off the database.
The problem, said Vickie Ernst, with Child Safe, a child advocacy center in Bexar County, is those sex offenders have not re-registered.
There are more than 3,000 registered sex offenders in Bexar County alone, she said. There are no official estimates as to how many other sex offenders are out there that have not re-registered.
"The problem is we have no way of tracking those people down," Ernst said.
She said it is troubling to think of missing sex offenders.
"Best thing to do is to arm your children and to educate your families in the community to protect their child," said Ernst.
http://www.ksat.com/news/22677305/detail.html
Agency Says Many Sex Offenders Fail To Re-Register
POSTED: Thursday, February 25, 2010
UPDATED: 10:08 pm CST February 25, 2010
"Most of these offenders are with convictions dealing with a child and they're still mostly dangerous," said Investigator Armando Diaz, with Bexar County's Sex Offender Registration Program. "The only way we find them is if somebody (brings) it to our attention. Family members, victims or anything like that can give us any kind of information."
A change in the law in 2006 required sex offenders convicted of sex crimes back to 1970, to register for life.
But before the change took effect, prior offenders were taken off the database.
The problem, said Vickie Ernst, with Child Safe, a child advocacy center in Bexar County, is those sex offenders have not re-registered.
There are more than 3,000 registered sex offenders in Bexar County alone, she said. There are no official estimates as to how many other sex offenders are out there that have not re-registered.
"The problem is we have no way of tracking those people down," Ernst said.
She said it is troubling to think of missing sex offenders.
"Best thing to do is to arm your children and to educate your families in the community to protect their child," said Ernst.
http://www.ksat.com/news/22677305/detail.html