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Sandra Yi ReportingIf you want to know if there's a convicted sex offender living in your neighborhood, you can check the state's online registry. But police have warned, it's not 100 percent accurate. One law enforcement agency is trying to change that.
Greg Whinham: "In Roy, we can answer the question today, that we know where they all are."
That's a relief to residents like Glen Norton. There's a convicted sex offender in his neighborhood.
Glen Norton, Roy Resident: "I was worried about my granddaughter walking to the burger bar and that, but I'm going to walk with her from now on."
Roy police are taking an aggressive approach to make sure all convicted sex offenders in the city are registered. By law they're required to register with the state every year, for 10 years. It's the offenders' responsibility. But some give false addresses, others move and fail to register.
Just last month Syracuse Police arrested a man who hadn't registered in two years.
Greg Whinham: "There is nothing in place for anyone else to monitor, track or keep this record valid. If someone's not watching the registry, then they're not going to be very accurate."
That's what police found. This summer, detectives went online and discovered 52 sex offenders registered with addresses in Roy.
Greg Whinham: "What we found was that nine of them were missing."
Half had moved, two were in custody, one had moved to Syracuse and failed to register. Police say one woman had not registered since 2000. There is a warrant for her arrest.
Greg Whinham: "If that's a requirement they have, they need to do that to prove to the community that they're trying to make a good effort to be part of that community."
Police plan to monitor their list. They say the registry is just a resource. Still, they hope their efforts give residents some peace of mind. Roy police plan to challenge other law enforcement agencies to follow suit. They say Syracuse and Weber County are conducting similar programs.
