Web site targets elusive sex offenders

Wisconsin hopes public will help find criminals

Appleton Post-Crescent
May 24, 2006

NEENAH - Wisconsin long has been recognized as one of the leading states in protecting youth from sex offenders, and Gov. Jim Doyle wants to keep it that way.

"Keeping our kids safe is a never-ending job," Doyle said Tuesday at the Neenah Police Department, where he announced creation of a new Web site, Wisconsin's Most Wanted Sex Offenders.

"Wisconsin's Most Wanted will allow parents, grandparents, teachers and neighbors to play an integral role in keeping our communities safe and making it impossible for sex offenders to move undetected through our neighborhoods," Doyle said.

Neenah Police Chief Ray Appel, one of three police chiefs on the governor's Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) initiative, called the Web site a partnership with the public that "will actually help us to locate and identify noncompliant offenders so we can bring them to justice."

SAFE was started to track down about 2,000 sex offenders who failed to register with the state as required under their sentences. Since it was started in September, teams of retired detectives have located 610 sex offenders. Compliance with the registry has increased from 82 percent to 89 percent, well above the 76 percent national average compliance rate.

There are about 20,000 people on the state's sex offender registry.

Through the Web site, the public will be able to access current information about the state's most dangerous and elusive sex offenders, including their names, photographs, warrants issued for them and other important information about what to do if the suspected offender is spotted.

"The investigators that have been working the SAFE initiative have found hundreds of noncompliant sex offenders in various communities and brought them into compliance," said Outagamie County Sheriff Brad Gehring, SAFE co-chairman.

Gehring said officials have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of vigilantism spurred by Web sites that list sex offenders.

"Law enforcement was very concerned about that but I don't believe we've seen any evidence locally to justify that concern," he said.

Click Here for Original Article