Member Submission: Check your registry information
In December 2020 I moved out of Florida to another state. At that time, I went to the sheriff’s office to notify them I was moving. They changed my registry, at that time, to show I had left the state.
Fast forward to last month (June 2022): For the heck of it, I decided to look myself up on the Florida registry, as I know no one is ever completely removed. To my shock, I found my registration was again active as of May 2022! Not only was it active, but it showed I was living in a home that I had not lived in since 2013, was back on probation (I was released from probation in 2018) and, the real kicker, the picture was of someone that was not me! I decided to also look at my release page from DOC, and, it too, had my DC number with another person’s picture and partially incorrect info.
I certainly don’t need to get in to how the sheriff’s department could have decided to come after me for a registry violation which would have landed me in jail until they figured out that THEY made a mistake.
Long story short, I ended up calling the number for FDLE that handles the registry for the state. I, thankfully, talked to a very helpful, professional and polite woman who apologized and explained what happened. She told me that DOC has been making data-entry errors when they are out processing inmates. Essentially, someone typed in my DC number instead of the person who was getting released.
All said, if you are not in the habit of checking how your information is appearing on the registry website, maybe you will want to make it a part of your monthly routine as I now have.
Pre-2019 paperwork wasn’t adequate for checking, and this is what landed me in jail for a failure to register, despite giving them the adequate information, and complaining from day 1 of the inadequate paperwork! Ever since than, guess what? Adequate paperwork! Go figure!
Wondering how many sex offenders didn’t know the registry existed before their crime was committed and that they could end up on the registry if they committed a sex crime?
I have to verify every 3 months in Michigan, and I always check the information on my paperwork before I sign it. There have been a couple instances where the officer put the wrong information down, and when I pointed it out, he was happy to correct it. I always keep my copy of the paperwork so I can present it to law enforcement should they ever say I didn’t verify my info. I also regularly check myself on the State Police website to make sure my information is correct. I’m not going down for something I didn’t do, so I always make sure to cover my six.
I really feel for you guys. Living over here in England, registration requirements are a national policy, so you register once and that’s it; it follows you wherever and whenever you move home, and all you have to do is register your new address within three days.
Also, we can apply to leave the register after 15 years – 8 years for juveniles. We’re not required to notify potential employers of this, unless of course we’re applying for a job working with vulnerable people.
We can live close to families, parks, schools, etc., and as time progresses, we’re visited less often by law enforcement. So, after about 10 years, they hardly come around at all.
Good to see that there is at least some common sense left somewhere in the world.
It was the common sense of the judiciary upholding the declaration of human rights treaty. This ruling came about in 2011. The UK supreme court said it was a violation of human rights to never have an opportunity to be removed.
Before you get your hopes up the United States never signed the treaty. So violating human rights here is A-OK.
And one could jokingly say registrants in Florida have an opportunity to get removed after 20 years after release from sanctions (yep tied to the duration of punishment)…oh wait that changed to 25 years as 20 years approached…no contract…might change to 35 years tomorrow.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-rights/uk-to-review-human-rights-laws-after-sex-ruling-idUSTRE71F5O520110216
If you live in the right state, you are left alone. Rent from private parties that do not have to follow a corporate policy not to rent to felons. Offer to pay a little extra to make sure you get the place. Interestingly enough, although you may have trouble renting from that large apartment building in that senior housing complex or in the hipster urban area, the easiest place to rent is in suburban neighborhoods ironically filled with children. If your state requires you to live far from a park, it will be hard to find housing, but if you do, you can count on the local children with no park to play to play in your front yard instead. In many states you aren’t allowed to live near the school where teachers and parents supervise the children. Instead, you will be forced to live near the bus stop where unsupervised latch-key children wait alone.
Roger
I have mentioned this before but your comment triggered a response. The school bus stops right in front of our house. The parents come out in their night gowns and pjs to wait for the bus to protect their kids from me.
Ironically, when they get out of school, they play unattended all day long in front of my house ?????? Something is out of place in Wonderland.
Cherokee something has been wrong in much of this registry. I live right across from a buss stop. This whole registry by internet was not thought out well. While the physical aspect can be bad enough its a hardship on all that have to spend time incarcerated or be under this ordeal. Doing justice is one thing but their is greed and vain underhand shame by those LE and they call themselves christian.
Saddles
I blame the law makers more than the police. They have to enforce the laws and yes, many do abuse us above and beyond what the registry says they can. Having said that, if Law makers, judges, and or Legislatures would do the right thing, we could move on and be productive citizens.
I saw recently on the news for every 30 officers who graduate from the police academy, 49 quit, get fired or retire. If you got rid of registry officers you would have more man power to go after people who, are “actually” committing crimes. Not ones who have the potential to based on their past decades ago.
They cannot even keep people in the registry offices anymore. It is a revolving door every time I go in there is a new person doing the registration. And you never know if you are going to get the fun and friendly type, or the Nazi war commander type.
Do they stamp your passport there with horrible things?