As the Public Information Officer for the York County Sheriff’s Office, I would like to respond to concerns regarding registered sex offenders living near locations such as day care centers, schools and other locations within York County.
Law enforcement agencies in South Carolina are aided by the State Law Enforcement Divisions (SLED) in monitoring sex offenders, sex offender databases and registries. One goal is to have consistent enforcement, in all South Carolina communities, of laws governing registered sex offenders. Currently, not all counties within South Carolina subscribe to an Offender Watch program and certain statewide policies are predicated on such coverage.
As laws regarding sex offenders are implemented and enforced, it is important to remember that, as with many laws, certain offenders may be “grandfathered” as to be where they can reside. In other words, depending upon the offense an offender was convicted of, whether or not the offender lived at the address prior to the passage of the law and other factors, a registered offender may legally be able to continue to reside near a location such as a day care, school or other location of concern.
Sheriff Bryant and the York County Sheriff’s Office understand your concerns; it was due to these concerns that Offender Watch was launched in York County. Offender Watch is a means to help keep the public better informed regarding sex offenders living within our community. The information offered by Offender Watch is provided as a service to help us as individuals, parents and families better keep everyone safe.
It is also important to note that the York County Sheriff’s Office maintains full-time staff to monitor and maintain the sex offender registry, to verify registered offender information and to prosecute those offenders who fail to comply with legal mandates.
It is regrettable that you have not been able to make contact with our office using the email addresses you listed. I learned of this forum and these postings while researching another issue and I would welcome the opportunity to attempt to answer any additional questions or concerns that you might have. You may contact me via email at
mike.baker@yorkcountygov.com
Sincerely,
Lieutenant Mike Baker
Public Information Officer
York County Sheriff’s Office
York, South Carolina
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
