Sex offenders in town registered on site

Jackie Oribello
Issue date: 11/6/05 Section: News

Some students may be unaware that registered sex offenders must notify the town they reside in, and that this information is made readily available on various Web sites.Certain sites such as familywatchdog.us offer residents the opportunity to type in their address and view how many sex offenders live nearby. The Web site goes into detail on what type of crime the sex offender committed, such as rape, battery, child-related offenses and other sexual crimes."The public has a right to know," Normal Police Lt. Mark Kotte said. "It's a safety issue."According to Kotte, some may not agree with making these Web sites available for the public, but they are there specifically for public use."I think once you're a registered sex offender, it gives up your right to privacy," Patrol Operations Lt. for the McLean County Sheriff's Office Mike Essig said.People who have committed a sexual crime are required to register in the town they live in or move to. The sex offenders must re-register every year, regardless of whether they move or stay in the same town, Kotte said.While the Web sites are gaining popularity, Normal and McLean County police have other ways of keeping track of registered sex offenders."We don't check the Web sites, we routinely check their homes," Essig said.The NPD keeps a book of all sex offenders registered in the town, Kotte said.Some students are surprised to find out that sex offenders actually live in their neighborhood and may wonder why they were never notified."We don't send out notices to neighborhoods," Kotte said. "They have to look them up themselves. This process [of notification] would be very time consuming.""If somebody has questions, we refer them to the isp.state.il.us Web site," Essig said.This is McLean County's own Web site that lists detailed information about registered sex offenders in the area."The Town of Normal is exceptionally safe, but students should do what mom and dad told them when they first went away to college: 'Don't leave anyone behind and stay in a group,'" Kotte said. Essig agreed.The No. 1 overall safety issue is for students to know their surroundings when they go out, especially the people they are with, he said."Make sure someone knows when you are leaving and who you're leaving with," Essig said.