Where Are They: Keeping Tabs On Sex Offenders

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA



Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Calcasieu Parish has between 260-280 registered sex offenders.
Over the past year, a single registry database called Offender Watch has allowed the state to streamline sex offender information, reducing the problem of tracking and registering sex offenders.

“The registry is something that we always used. We had to pay for it. Now the state requires that we have that system and they actually fund it for us,” said Detective Scott Miller with the Sheriff’s Department’s Sex Offender Compliance and Awareness Program (CAP).
“We have been doing that since about ten years ago. We are ahead of the game in that area,” said Mancuso.

Miller said the registry is still a work in progress, but believes it will all work out once all the parishes get in line with the registry.

“We can look at each others sex offenders and if they move from one parish to our parish it automatically sends us an email stating that this guy is moving to our area and we need to go find him,” said Miller.

Governor Bobby Jindal said the registry is a critical step towards enforcing new laws instituted since he took office.

“By having a program that allows various law enforcement agencies to share, streamline, and enforce the sex predator registration and monitoring process, our law enforcement officials are better prepared to track down these predators and protect our children,” said Governor Jindal.
There are two ways to deal with sex offenders. First, the investigation, how law enforcement pursues the case and ultimately gets a conviction. The next stage is keeping track of them when they get out of jail.

“The legislature has changed some of the laws. They look at a sex offender differently if they are a rapist or if they are a pedophile,” said Mancuso.

There are different tiers to being a sex offender. These tiers or levels of offense determine how often the offender has to check in with law enforcement.

The first tier requires check in every year for a felony of carnal knowledge. The second tier involves molestation of a juvenile or anything involving minors. The second tier requires check in every six months.

The third tier is aggravated assault which means the assailant used a weapon during the crime. The assailant has to check in every three months and register for life as a sex offender.

“When the offender is checking in they give their phone number, place of employment, address, vehicles that they drive, any tattoos that may have changed, hair style, and picture,” said Miller.
Miller and others in CAP conduct regular compliance checks in the parish.

“We will pick an area and have every offender checked within a three month period,” said Miller.
“If they are not in compliance then he files the necessary charges with the District Attorney’s office. If they are on parole we notify their probation officer and try to get a warrant for their arrest for either probation violation or just the violation of not notifying us that they had changed addresses or locations,” said Mancuso.

Miller said a lot of the current problems are people coming from other states.
“In January of 2008, we came in line with the Adam Walsh Act and Texas hasn’t come in line with that yet,” said Miller.

The Adam Walsh Act calls for state conformity to various aspects of sex offender registration, including information that must be collected, duration of registration requirement for classifications of offenders, verification of registry information, access to and sharing of information, and penalties for failure to register as required.

“We are getting a lot of offenders coming from Texas. We aren’t being notified about it. A lot of them have absconded and come over here. We aren’t getting them until we get them on a traffic stop or something like that where we run their name and they come up as a sex offender from another state,” said Miller.

Mancuso said all states need to be on the same page.

“The Adam Walsh Act is trying to make sure that we don’t just do it in Louisiana, but we do it nationwide so we can have better tracking,” said Mancuso.

In the future, serious offenders may have to wear GPS tracking systems so law enforcement knows where they are at all times.

“That hasn’t evolved as fast as we would have liked it to,” said Mancuso.

The Sheriff’s Department website www.cpso.com has a sex offender registry.

“You can enter your address and see what sex offenders live in your area,” said Miller.
The registry provides pictures and gives a reason for conviction.

“If there is a sex offender living on your street show the picture to your child. You don’t have to explain to them what he was convicted of, just tell them he is a bad person and to stay away form him,” said Miller.

“We will go out and speak to civic organizations if there is a concern. We will meet with them and explain how the program works,” said Mancuso.

Deputy Joanne Pape works in the CAP unit promoting awareness. Pape speaks to communities and does neighborhood watch.

Miller and Pape teach some classes around the state. Mancuso said other cities use Calcasieu Parish as a model for what is going right.

“We feel like we are doing right. We are trying,” said Mancuso.