Craig Webre Sheriff

1. Craig Webre Sheriff

2. Craig Webre Sheriff One in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18. -U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau, 2000

3. In addition to our children, victims of sex offenses include women, men, and our senior citizens. • Each year more than 60,000 rapes are committed against women older than 50 years of age. • One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. • In 2002, approximately 11,000 men were raped. • Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2002

4. Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. Craig Webre Sheriff -Center for Sex Offender Management, August 2000

5. Craig Webre Sheriff Truth: Most sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim or the victim’s family, regardless of whether the victim is a child or an adult. -Center for Sex Offender Management, 2000

6. Craig Webre Sheriff Only 39% of rapes and sexual assaults are actually reported to law enforcement officials — about one in every three. Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2002

7. Megan’s Law • 7-year-old girl raped and killed by a known child molester who had moved across the street from her family without their knowledge. • President Clinton signed Megan's Law in 1996. • Requires each state to notify the public when sex offenders are residing in their area. • All fifty states now have some form of sex registration laws. Megan Kanka

8. Louisiana Law LA R.S. 15:540 Provides in Part “The legislature finds that sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators often pose a high risk … and that protection of the public … is of paramount governmental interest.” “The legislature further finds that local law enforcement officers' efforts to protect their communities … are impaired by the lack of information available.” “Therefore, this state's policy is to assist local law enforcement agencies' efforts to protect their communities by requiring sex offenders ... to register with state and local law enforcement agencies and to require the exchange of relevant information … among state, local, and federal public agencies … and to members of the general public.”

9. Louisiana Law (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.) Sex Offender Responsibilities: • Register within 21 days upon • Conviction • Release from confinement • Louisiana residency established • Mail notification to the community • Within a one mile radius in a rural area • Within a 3/10 of a mile radius in an urban area • If victim was under 13, sex offender cannot establish a residence or be present within 1000 ft. of any elementary or secondary school

10. Louisiana Law (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.) Sex Offender Responsibilities (Continued): • Driver’s License sex offender restriction code • Renew yearly • Must carry special sex offender identification card at all times • Newspaper Publication • Twice within 30 days • Registration updates • Annual renewal of registration • Notification within ten days of change of address • Must register if absent from address of registration for longer than 30 days • Must register at all places of residence

11. Louisiana Law (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.) Sex Offender Responsibilities: • Duration of Registration • Ten years upon completion of sentence • Lifetime • Sexually violent predator • Panel created to evaluate all sex offenders prior to release • Prior conviction which required registration • Specified aggravated offenses

12. Louisiana Law (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.) • Non Compliance: • First Conviction • Fine: $1000 maximum and • Confinement: 2 year mandatory minimum/10 year maximum with hard labor and without parole, probation, or suspension • Second or Subsequent Conviction • Fine: $3000 • Confinement: 5 year mandatory minimum/20 year maximum without parole, probation, or suspension

13. Louisiana LawResponsibility during Declaration of Emergency(In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.) • Within 24 hours of entering a shelter • Sex offender must notify shelter manager and local law enforcement of offender’s status • Shelter manager must make reasonable effort to notify local law enforcement • Offender must be housed separate from general population • Offender must re-register if physically present in a different parish for more than 30 days

14. Craig Webre Sheriff Registration Irony Compliance is predominately in the HANDS of the convicted.

15. Convicted Cannot be Trusted • 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford • John Evander Couey, a previously known sex offender,kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered Jessica. • Couey was arrested on a probation violation and failure to register his change of address as required as a sex offender.

16. Weaknesses and Deficiencies • Lack of clarity • Beginning of ten years? • Mail out mechanisms? • Re-notification to community? • Compliance enforcement? • Unfunded mandate? • Overlapping responsibilities • Sheriff • Police Chief (City over 400,000) • Department of Public Safety and Corrections • Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information • Who does what? When? Where? How?

17. Craig Webre Sheriff Our Strategy

18. Craig Webre Sheriff Goals of S.O.A.P • To enhance and improve sex offender registration law • To ensure compliance with sex offender registry laws • To identify and apprehend non-compliant sex offenders • To provide accurate and readily accessible data to citizens of Lafourche Parish

19. Craig Webre Sheriff S.O.A.P. Overview • Responsibilities of Local Law Enforcement • Policy and Procedures of LPSO S.O.A.P. • Website and Database Maintenance • Outreach and Education

20. Craig Webre Sheriff Program Procedures • Offenders are processed, photographed, and fingerprinted through AFIS at LPDC.

21. Craig Webre Sheriff S.O.A.P. Procedures 2) Offenders pay a registration fee to offset costs of the monitoring program.

22. Craig Webre Sheriff Program Procedures 3) A manual and electronic file is created, maintained, and housed at LPDC. The files include: • All DOC Paperwork • Clerk of Court Minutes • Current Photo • Registration Documents • Criminal History

23. Craig Webre Sheriff Program Procedures 4) The registration officer creates a list of offenders scheduled for address verification checks. • Semi-annual checks for offenders on probation/parole • Quarterly checks for offenders not on probation/parole

24. Craig Webre Sheriff Program Procedures 5) A field officer is assigned to: • Locate offenders at the home address provided. • Update information as needed i.e. photos, change in vehicle, employment etc. • Provide necessary instructions on compliance requirements to offenders. • Conduct further investigation if the offender is not located at the address provided. • Physical arrest • Arrest Warrant

26. Craig Webre Sheriff Lafourche Parish Stats(as of May 2006) • Total Offenders Registered - 283 • Category Breakdown: • Compliant - 133 (47.00%) • Non-Compliant - 19 (6.71%) • Completed Registration Period (10 years) - 33 (11.66%) • Incarcerated Offenders - 31 (10.95%) • Out of Area Offenders - 55 (19.43%) • Deceased Offenders - 12 (4.24%) • Of the 152 Offenders Active in Lafourche Parish: • Compliant - 133 (87.50%) • Noncompliant - 19 (12.50%) • *Warrants either secured or to be secured for those noncompliant • Total collections from Offender Registration fees to cover period of July to March - $7,800

27. Craig Webre Sheriff Outreach and Education • Partner with Neighborhood Watch Program for community outreach • Inform and collaborate with local law enforcement agencies, media outlets, and civic organizations • Meet regularly with S.O.A.P. committee • Awareness through public information • Maintain webpage

38. Craig Webre Sheriff www.lpso.net