The News Room [News Release]

Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-224-0615
Release Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2005

County sweep targets paroled sex offenders living near local schools --- Multi-agency effort designed to keep kids safe as classes start

Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies along with officers from the Michigan Department of Corrections [MDOC], Detroit Police, Michigan State Police and a number of suburban police agencies recently visited the homes of nearly 200 convicted sex offenders currently on parole and probation as part of a combined effort to keep school kids safe, Sheriff Warren Evans said today.

Operation Trackdown brought together more than 150 officers who targeted known sex offenders that live close to schools to make sure they are abiding by the terms of their supervised release. While none of the parolees lived closer to a school than the minimum 500-foot distance required by state law, their relatively close proximity warranted a visit before school started, Evans said.

“Statistics show that, because of the compulsive nature of many sex crimes, these offenders re-offend at a high rate,” Evans said. “We want local parents to feel confident sending their children to school and to know that the local law enforcement community is keeping a watchful eye on people who pose a higher risk to kids’ safety.”

During the three-day sweep [Aug. 24-26], officers visited 195 homes in Detroit, Dearborn, Inkster, Canton, Westland, Livonia and Taylor, which were the participating local police departments. Overall, there were few violations. “The good news is that the vast majority of people were found to be in compliance with the terms of their parole or probation, but it still important that they know we may show up at any time,” Evans said.

There were, however, exceptions. Officers found at least four individuals in serious violation. Two men, one from Detroit and the other from Dearborn, each of whom originally was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, were discovered to be having a relative’s children in their homes, frequently unsupervised. One of the men also had a large amount of pornographic materials in his possession, which also constituted a violation. A Taylor man, also on parole for sexually assaulting a minor, was found in violation for possessing video equipment – specifically prohibited in his terms of parole - and a small bag of marijuana. The individual’s computer, which had encryption-protected files is being examined for suspected pornography. While one sex offender was arrested, the Michigan Department of Corrections will follow through on the other cases to determine what actions should be taken against those who violated the terms of their release.

“The good news is that we did not find evidence of any new crimes against children,” Evans said. “As time goes on, people on parole or probation in Wayne County will be conditioned to know that we will continue to hold them accountable until the end of their sentence.”

Evans and MDOC created the Spot Check unit nearly one year ago to perform unannounced home checks on parolees and probationers convicted of various assaultive crimes. Since its creation, the unit has conducted 2,500 home checks, during which it has found nearly 300 people in violation and sent 25 parolees back to prison.

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