SEXUAL OFFENDER LAW EXPANDS TO INCLUDE ALL OFFENDERS

One provision expands reporting requirements to any resident of the state with a prior sex crime conviction.

Previously only persons who were incarcerated, on probation or on parole after January 1, 1995 were required to register.  The new law requires any person who has committed a sex crime, no matter when it occurred, to register before August 1 with their local law enforcement agency.

Detective Angie Whittemore, who registers sex offenders at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, said it is important for people who have been added to the registry to comply with the law as soon as possible.

“The law has changed to include any person living in Tennessee who has been convicted of a sex-related crime. They are required to register with law enforcement no later than August 1st so they can be placed on the sexual offender registry,” Whittemore said.

The new requirement includes individuals who now live in Tennessee but were convicted of a sex-crime in another state.   

Persons who have their residence in the city of Cleveland can register at the Cleveland Police Department .  Those outside the city should contact Detective Whittemore at the Sheriff’s Office.

“Anyone who has a question about whether a conviction is covered by the law can contact me for clarification,” Whittemore said.  She can be reached at 728-7336 and adds, “Those who need to register should call to make an appointment.”

Another key change the legislature made is moving the names of individuals that have been available only to law enforcement to the public website hosted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation .   

With the addition of these people there are now approximately 173 Bradley County residents listed on the registry.

Persons who are on the registry fall into one of two classifications as either a sexual offender or a violent sexual offender.  Sexual offenders are required to report annually to their local law enforcement agency within seven days before or after their birthday.  Violent offenders report during the months of March, June, September and December.  In addition, any changes in an offender’s place of residence, employment status, or enrollment in an institute of higher education must be reported within 48 hours.  Out-of-state residents who have a conviction for a crime that is covered by the law must register if they are employed or are attending school in Tennessee.

All persons must pay an annual administrative fee of $100.   

Recently the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added a new feature to their website that maps where sexual offenders live.  Visitors to the site can type in their address and see on a map where sexual offenders live in that area. The names of nearly 10,000 offenders are currently in the database available for viewing through a mapping program.  The TBI website is at www.tbi.state.tn.us .

A link to that page is provided on the sheriff’s website, www.bradleysheriff.com.