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Concordia Parish sheriff starts sex offender registry Web site

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Tuesday, October 28, 2008

VIDALIA — Parish residents now have a way to find out if they have any registered sex offenders living in their neighborhood.

Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell revealed the Concordia Parish extension of an online registry of sex offenders at a press conference Tuesday.

The Web site, which can be accessed at www.concordiasheriff.org, allows citizens to enter their home or work address and will then generate a map showing their location relative to the residences of registered sex offenders.

It also allows citizens to sign up to receive e-mail alerts when a sex offender moves into their area.

“You may be surprised at how many sex offenders we have in Concordia Parish,” Maxwell said. “It’s amazing how many people fall into that category (of criminal offender) in this small, rural parish.”

The Web site is a cooperative effort between the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, the Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association.

The statewide database has been up and operating for approximately a month, and the Concordia Parish subportal has been operative for approximately three weeks, though both systems have had bugs that needed to be worked out, CPSO Capt. Frankie Carroll said.

The timing of the finished product is also seasonally convenient, Maxwell said.

“You don’t want your kids going up to this guy’s house and knocking on the door trick-or-treating,” he said.

Information available on the site includes the name, age, address, picture, physical description and convicted offense for each offender.

It also includes information about any vehicles registered in the name of a convicted sex offender.

Because of the transient nature society has adopted, a lot of people may not be aware that there is a sex offender living down the street, Maxwell said.

“It’s kind of gotten to where you get up in the morning, go to work and then go home, and a lot of times you don’t know who your neighbors are,” he said.

Because it is a statewide collaboration, residents can search the database for sex offenders in other communities as well.

“If you have your daughter going to school in Monroe, you might want her to know if there is a rapist living across the street,” Maxwell said.

A number of those listed in the Concordia Parish registry are inmates currently incarcerated in the Parish’s correctional facility.

Because there are legal ramifications for failure to do so, Maxwell encouraged any convicted sex offenders who have moved into the area to register with the sheriff’s office.

Comments

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 11:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You would be more amazed at the ones that STILL haven't been prosecuted!!!! And more amazed at the ones let go!!!!

Posted by kernel (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 11:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You're exactly right, jammin1... In August '08, a sex offender who had committed an 'ARMED' robbery was released after having only served one year because he agreed to plead guilty. The charge was dropped to 'SIMPLE' robbery, he was given 5 years with 4 suspended, and credit for time served. BUT he still hasn't served any time for the two times that he was in NON-compliance for his rape/attempted aggravated rape charges (he did serve 5 years for these). He's out on the streets again and all I can hope is that the next time he does something, no one gets hurt.

Posted by bayoubengalsfan (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 11:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If these parishes would not take out-of-parish or out-of-state prisoners there might would be room in the jails for these offenders. Why not build a tent city jail like Arizona did? If our troops in Iraq can live in tents, why can't the criminals?

Posted by kernel (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 12:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

On another note, I realize that the guy was released because the fact the D.A's office is who offered him the plea deal. But now that the Sheriff has his hand-picked D.A. in office, can we expect anything different this go-round???

Posted by harjedalen (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 12:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

In Louisiana, if a prostitute offers intercourse, she will only be charged with a misdemeanor that carries no more than a $500 fine and up to six months in jail. But if she offers oral sex, it is considered a crime against nature. She will be charged with a felony, face up to five years in prison and, once released, be forced to REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS. These people make up ten percent of the state registry.
But the John seeking such services is almost never charged with the same crime.
Distasteful crime, but are the Prostitutes on the same level with the Predators this registry was designed to warn us about. Wouldn't we be better served to be warned of ALL VIOLENT criminals, attempted murder, murder, assault with a deadly weapon, rape, etc. rather than prostitutes.

Posted by Muggle (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 1:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is yet another attempt to make the people think Maxwell is actually doing something good for Concordia Parish!
We have had access to this information for years at the La. State Police website! http://www.lsp.org/index.html

A website for sex offenders is fine and dandy,,,,,BUT remember that if the offenders don't register with the law enforcement agencies in the towns they live in,,,,These websites will NOT be updated!

Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 7:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks Muggle. I was going to point that out, but you beat me to it. This is not something new. Google Maps makes it all possible.

I would rather see the Sheriff do something really productive. Like stopping the flow of escapees from his jail.

Here's a novel idea. A registry on each prisoner you have. You want to know everything there is to know about each one. If a prisoner has a visitor, get their info and put it in his file. That way, if one escapes, you can grab the file on him and know several locations where he might be headed. Then have people waiting for him when he gets there.

Posted by kpage1 (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've found it's easy as pie to access incarcerated Mississippi inmates, but it's hard as hell to access Louisiana. Anyone know the website?

Posted by momof1 (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

For years I have used the Family Watch Dog website which does the same thing as the Sheriff's new site. You can go to http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Posted by momof1 (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BTW...have they caught the escapee? This was good timing on Maxwell's part to try to divert the attention away from that. This system has been up for a few weeks but he just decided to put it in the Democrat the day after we find out that he let another one "get away"? Give us more credit than that Sheriff

Posted by geauxtigers (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good to know. But depressing.

Posted by waynerd (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

A few things were left out in the story. This site is different from familywatchdog in several ways. Jailers throughout the state must pre-register the sex offenders 20 days before their release. The offenders at that time must provide a physical address of where they will live upon release. An email is sent to the parish in which they will reside. The offender has five days from the date of release to register with the local sheriff's office. All of this takes place on a server commissioned by the La. Attorney General's office and is updated by software installed on the jailer's computer. Because of this, the web site will be updated daily.

The press conference was originally planned for several weeks ago but the state was still working out bugs in the software.

Posted by consider_reason (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So wayne, what you are saying is that the AG is responsible for this, and all departments will be responsible to register offenders - so once again, Randy takes credit for something he had little to do with in the first place?

I may make a peanut butte rand jelly sandwich, but when I do I dont claim to have invented bread. Maxwell remains unimpressive and a politician who blows his own horn whenever possible.

Sorry Vershal, don;t mean to rag on your pet politician so.

Posted by waynerd (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't see anywhere in this article that our sheriff is taking credit for this program. In fact it states that he "revealed the Concordia Parish extension of an online registry of sex offenders". This is our extension of the registry.

This article was not meant to impress, only to inform.

Posted by Muggle (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 7:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Soooo Wayne,,,,,Is this a new ploy of Maxwell's to get access to peoples IP# so he'll have a new way to terrorize people???? He has done everything else to let us all know who's in charge!

I won't be visiting his "new" site! Family Watchdog is much better anyway!

Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 7:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If he would terrorize his prisoners, maybe they would stop trying to run away. On the other hand, they see an opening and they go for it. It's hard to blame them when they know their chances are so good.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 7:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That's right ProNatchez, heck if they would just stay in the Parish they probably wouldn't even have to worry about getting caught! It's only when they get outside of Concordia that someone catches them. LOL

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 29, 2008 at 8:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Also here is web address for the La. State Police site,

http://www.lsp.org/socpr/default.html

Posted by mudzillaefi (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 8:40 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by bayou (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

On the Family Watchdog site you can click on list and it even list the perverts incarcerated on Hwy. 15.

Posted by hitchcock (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What's the address for the Family Watchdog?

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)

http://www.familywatchdog.us/ Here you go hitchcock.

Posted by hitchcock (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)