craig webre sheriff

Craig Webre

Sheriff

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

•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

Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.

-Center for Sex Offender Management, August 2000Craig Webre

Sheriff

Family 48%Acquaintance 38%Stranger 15%

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, 2000Craig 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

Craig Webre

Sheriff

•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

Megan’s LawMegan’s Law

Louisiana Law Louisiana Law LA R.S. 15:540 Provides in PartLA 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.”

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

Louisiana Law Louisiana Law (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.)(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


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


• 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


• 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

Louisiana LawLouisiana LawResponsibility during Declaration of Responsibility during Declaration of

EmergencyEmergency (In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.)(In accordance with LA R.S. 15:540 et seq.)

Compliance is predominately in the

HANDS

of the convicted.

Registration IronyRegistration Irony

Craig Webre

Sheriff

• 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.

Convicted Cannot be Convicted Cannot be TrustedTrusted

• 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?

Weaknesses and Deficiencies Weaknesses and Deficiencies

Our StrategyOur Strategy

Craig Webre

Sheriff

• 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

Craig Webre

Sheriff

Goals of S.O.A.PGoals of S.O.A.P

S.O.A.P. OverviewS.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

Craig Webre

Sheriff

Program ProceduresProgram Procedures1) Offenders are processed,

photographed, and

fingerprinted through AFIS

at LPDC.

Craig Webre

Sheriff

S.O.A.P. ProceduresS.O.A.P. Procedures

2) Offenders pay a 2) Offenders pay a registration registration

fee to offset costs of fee to offset costs of the the monitoring program.monitoring program.

Craig Webre

Sheriff

Program ProceduresProgram Procedures

Craig Webre

Sheriff

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


4) The registration officer creates a list of 4) The registration officer creates a list of

offenders scheduled for address offenders scheduled for address

verification checks.verification checks.• Semi-annual checks for offenders on Semi-annual checks for offenders on

probation/paroleprobation/parole• Quarterly checks for offenders not on Quarterly checks for offenders not on

probation/paroleprobation/parole

Craig Webre

Sheriff


Craig Webre

Sheriff

5) A field officer is assigned to:5) A field officer is assigned to:• Locate offenders at the home address provided.Locate offenders at the home address provided.• Update information as needed i.e. photos, change Update information as needed i.e. photos, change

in vehicle, employment etc.in vehicle, employment etc.• Provide necessary instructions on compliance Provide necessary instructions on compliance

requirements to offenders.requirements to offenders.• Conduct further investigation if the offender is Conduct further investigation if the offender is

not located at the address provided.not located at the address provided.• Physical arrestPhysical arrest• Arrest WarrantArrest Warrant

Lafourche Parish StatsLafourche Parish Stats(as of May 2006)(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

Craig Webre

Sheriff

Outreach and EducationOutreach 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 webpageCraig Webre

Sheriff

www.lpso.netwww.lpso.net

Craig Webre

Sheriff