In a recent screen of the hundreds of convicted sex offenders living in Albany County, eight were cited for not complying with a law that they can’t live within 1,000 feet of areas frequented by children.
As many as 400 convicted sex offenders are believed to live in Albany County, according to authorities. After the Albany County Legislature last year passed the 1,000-foot buffer requirement, sex offenders in violation of the law were told to move.
A report released Wednesday, Sept.5, by the County District Attorney showed that, of the 30 who were told to relocate, only eight offenders, six living in the city of Albany and two in Cohoes and Watervliet, failed to comply.
They looked at every sex offender in the county. Thirty were living within 1,000 feet of school zones or childcare facilities, said Heather Orth, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s office.
Authorities conducted the screenings of the offenders two months ago, she said. They were given 60 days to relocate.
The screen was part of a multi-agency push to bring the offenders into compliance.
In some cases, the unfunded mandate has required some police agencies, already stretched thin financially, to assign investigators and employ new methods to enforce the law.
`We have maps that basically show where these boundaries are. We Google Earth it and physically go out and check to make sure that they are not in violation of the law,` said Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider.
The maps, which were made through the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, break down each town, city and village in the county. Each registered childcare facility and school is identified, and a 1,000-foot red circle, drawn to scale, surrounds them. The city of Albany has the highest density of sex offenders, as well as schools and childcare facilities, said Orth.
A Colonie investigator has been assigned to make use of the free online tool and cross-reference it with the county map, said Heider. The program allows investigators to look up addresses of registered offenders. They use a click-and-drag tool that measures in feet the distance between two areas.
If the offenders falls within that circle, they’re out, said Heider.
Although new technology and manpower is being used to keep track of registered offenders, that doesn’t mean the practice was non-existent before, Heider said.
In fact, Colonie has been diligent in keeping tabs on its it offenders, especially with sensitive areas like the Central Avenue corridor, where a handful of motels contract with County Social Services to house post-release offenders.
Colonie has always had a multi-faceted approach to informing the public of 30 to 40 sex offenders living in town at a given time. The police compile their own lists and update the information regularly to send out to schools and residents. The same information is available on the department’s Web site as well.
But knowing where the offenders are is just one tool to keep people safe from predators, said Heider.
Heider noted that many registered offenders were charged for attacks on adults, not children. He also pointed to recent arrests in the town over the past five years that include people in positions of authority, such as teachers and coaches.
Colonie recently arrested Alexander A. Oouch, 24, a cheerleading coach at X-Factor’s All Stars Cheer and Dance Gym in Colonie. Images on his cell phone led to his arrest for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old student he had privately instructed.
They aren’t always people hiding in the shadows.
`It is not the do-all-to-end-all to make you safe among sex offenders. It’s one tool,` Heider said.
People still need to take a personal interest in their, and their families’, safety, he said. Know your surroundings and educate your children and know where they are and what they are doing, he said.
“