Local law enforcement departments have been cracking down on sex offender registration compliance.
Late last month, a total of nine agencies conducted compliance checks on 82 sex offenders and registered violent offenders against youth living in Kendall County.
The detail happened on Sept. 25 and involved members of the Oswego, Yorkville, Montgomery, Aurora, Plano, Joliet and Plainfield police departments, as well as the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals of Northern Illinois and the United States Marshals Great Lakes Task Force.
“We want to constantly remind registered sex offenders that law enforcement is watching and monitoring their activity to deter them from criminal behavior,” Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird said.
The Sex Offender Registration Act requires sex offenders to register their residence, employer, school, vehicles, and many other items with the police agency where they live. The act also has stiff penalties for violations.
During the recent detail, investigators with each department met at the Kendall County Sheriff’s office and received assignments before heading out to conduct their checks.
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In a total of three hours, 82 residences had been checked, deputies said.
According to sheriff’s deputies, investigators made contact with 39 offenders and completed a verification check on each.
Investigators identified three offenders that were possibly in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act. Deputies said criminal investigations were opened into the allegations.
A total of 43 additional residences were checked, but investigators were unable to complete the verification process because contact was not made with the offender.
“As the laws of the Sex Offender Registrations have changed, it has made our jurisdictions increasingly intertwined, and we have been working closer together operationally,” Montgomery Police Chief Daniel Meyers said. “Thank you to Sheriff Baird and staff for organizing this initiative.”
In addition to sex offender checks, investigators also checked the compliance of Violent Offenders Against Youths — people who have been convicted of certain offenses that were not sexually motivated. Most of these crimes are crimes against people under the age of 18.
“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work in cooperation and conjunction with all police agencies in and around Kendall County,” Baird said. “The focus of this teamwork is to proactively work toward reducing crime and maintaining the high quality of life that Kendall County and the surrounding areas offer.”