22 arrested in Fort Lauderdale crackdown on sex offenders
Some sex offenders have been living illegally in off-limit areas of Fort Lauderdale. But Operation Here Not There has swept up 22 suspects in six weeks, authorities said Tuesday.
The city prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,400 feet of a school, school bus stop or park.
The arrests were announced by Fort Lauderdale Police, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Some suspects were found in nearby cities like Lauderhill, Pompano Beach and Oakland Park, and two were found in New York and Colorado.
Both out-of-state suspects face federal charges for crossing state lines without notifying authorities.
Data from the Florida Council on Homelessness shows that in 2011 Broward County had 103 transient sex offenders.
In 2017, the number jumped to nearly 400 in Broward County, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
In 2014, the Florida legislature created a law focused on transient sex offenders or offenders who are homeless or don’t have a permanent address. It requires them to register with the local sheriff’s office to register their address, whether it be an intersection or some other area, every 30 days. Those who don’t face a third-degree felony.
U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Barry Golden wants other agencies across the state to take note of what Fort Lauderdale Police are doing in their crackdown of transient sex offenders.
“I’ve been to other parts of Florida,” he said. “These detectives are doing something that I don’t know of any sheriff’s department or police department that are doing this in the state of Florida. They are getting out ahead of this.”
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said he’s glad to hear that no one else was victimized by the suspected transient sex offenders before detectives tracked them down.
“Everyone is so quick to criticize law enforcement, but when you see three law enforcement agencies working this well together, resulting in a safer community, it needs to be recognized. It needs to be commended,” Seiler said.
The operation might be over but Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said the arrests are expected to continue.
U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida Amos Rojas Jr. said it’s dangerous to have transient sex offenders not register their address.
He adds that the information is crucial for both law enforcement and citizens who want to go on the FDLE website to see whether any sex offenders live in their community.
“I’m extremely happy that we were able to partner with FDLE and Fort Lauderdale to make the streets a little bit safer,” Rojas said.
Again, Florida has to show why they need that Yearly Budget from the Government !!. All these other States are (finally) starting to see how WRONG these laws are, And Florida is worried about loosing a SHITLOAD of Federal Money !. So, They all get together and TRUMP(NO PUN INTENDED)UP a issue !!. Arresting those 22 EX-Offenders LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER !!. . I can’t wait for the Day that someone (an EX-Offender) with a little money gets enough and says, THAT’S IT, And ponies up the Money(that we ALL desperately need) to challenge all these ILLEGAL LAW’S in Florida. I sure wish I had the money !! But I spent every penny I had just fighting to keep my butt out of Prison (like most of us) And since I can’t get a job now, I can forget about EVER having the money to Fight !! So Florida has me (and most all of you) Right Where They Want Us !!!. Broke, Without our Guns to protect ourselves, And us reporting our every move !!!. Welcome to the Police States Of America !!.
Man, I’m so glad to see that someone sees things the same way that I do. This is EXACTLY what the goal is for Florida and most of the US government. Make us one big police state and us, their slaves. It just boggles my mind. 241 years ago, if our forefathers knew what was going on, they would’ve picked up their rifles and bayonets YEARS AGO and stormed Tallahassee and broke up the first legislative session and drove all of those scumbag good ole boys out of there! But yet, if you so much as hint of violence against government now a days, you get ostracized and investigated and you just “disappear.” Oh well my friend, one of these days everyone is going to wake up. But by then, it will be beyond too late! Until then, happy serfdom my fellow SO.
I was convicted in 2001 and it was in the state of TN. I have took lie detector test and even a test to see what age and sex I get aroused by. I past both test, and was also dropped as a sex offender in TN. I move here and they tell me I have to register. I asked what for and I was told because I was a sex offender. I replied by saying I’m not anymore and showed them the paperwork from Tennessee, releasing me. However they are making me register because the charge in TN that I don’t register for there, is similar to a charge here and because of that. They say I have to register
Sooo…..because someone is transient it AUTOMATICALLY makes them “dangerous”…?? And when these poor souls are arrested for not having a place to live, because it is almost impossible to do that, then everyone is “safer” and this type of garbage “should be commended”????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I hate everything about the place I was born because of idiots like these.
Yea, the statements made by the mayor we’re ridiculous. He is glad that the homeless sex offenders didn’t hurt anyone in the process of this operation before they rounded them up ??? They are not zombies Mr. Mayor and we’re not living in a zombie apokalypse. They are human beings trying to survive the streets and live decently and humanely because of these laws the government itself enacted. Calling them suspect. Suspect of what ? Of trying to survive?. Geez. If I was homeless, food, water, shelter, clothing, health, safety and overall survival would be constantly on my mind 24/7.
I thought the 11th circuit USCA already decided on the residency restrictions in So. Florida and found them unconstitutional? Or is that just for Miami-Dade?
the 11th remanded it to the lower court, reversing the dismissal
Ahh so nice to see the United States Prison Machine alive and well. Adolf Hitler would be proud of what the Police State has accomplished. These morons in blue locking people up should really reevaluate their purpose in this world, find a REAL JOB, there’s clearly too damn many of you that’s why you do things like this instead of fighting crime. Oh wait, your job isn’t to fight crime, but to “Protect and Serve the State”.
OH wow…the big bad LE feels like they have big balls because they could charge more poor souls with more “crimes” because they are homeless thanks to these insane abuse “laws” that are pretty much impossible to not violate (especially when they have made you homeless)!
Talk about going after the low hanging fruit! Geez what a well done job these nutless law enforcement agencies have done. So brave harassing homeless people made that way but not allowing them to legally work or even to live near the “good” people!
The best day of my life was when I drove across the state line as I left the state of Florida. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the ability to move out of that repressive backwater state.
I have NOT returned and never will. It has been well over a decade since that time and yet I still remain listed on their damn website. You know…so the good citizens of Florida that I live near can watch out for me.
Oh wait…if that is the case then their registry is not doing what the claim is the intent. Do the good people of Florida know that OR do the believe the lies told to them by their so-called “leaders”?
When will this inhuman, unjust, and anti-American abuse and punishment be stopped? What will it take to force Florida to make the changes?
It will NOT be voluntary we already know that. It can ONLY be done with nonstop fighting the corrupt leadership in power who are profiting from another’s misery. Good Christian values indeed.