Recently it has been proposed that sex offenders be required to post signs in their front yard of their residence to make people aware they reside there.  This has raised a lot of questions from citizens about their safety and the safety of their families.  This proposal is something we are currently looking at and researching in an attempt to determine its effectiveness in other cities.   

First, I want to let everyone know that keeping track of the sex offenders in our community is of upmost importance to us at the Benton Police Department.   I want to help alleviate some of your worries by making you aware of what our department currently does to keep track of sex offenders and the measures taken to make people aware of their location.  

A sex offender must register at the police department 10 days prior to moving into our jurisdiction.  They also must notify us 10 days in advance if they intend to move out of our jurisdiction.  They must register with the Arkansas Department of Corrections and do an assessment prior to release to determine their sex offender level status.  A level 3 &4 cannot live within 2000 ft. of school, daycare, public park, or youth center. 

We have a zero tolerance on sex offenders that violate ANY of their terms of release.  Last year alone we issued 20 warrants for sex offenders that were out of compliance with their terms of release. 

By law, the Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) sends out residency verification sheets to the sex offenders to check their status.  We go well beyond this by doing unannounced verification checks at both their residence and their place of employment.  Any violations found are immediately dealt with either through voluntary compliance or through the issuance of an arrest warrant, when necessary. 

Anytime a sex offender moves into our community we do neighborhood notifications to make citizens aware they are nearby.  New federal guidelines that take effect in July 2011 regarding sex notifications and registration requirements have already been implemented here, with the Benton Police Department being one of the first to do so in the state.

While ACIS is not required to list all levels of sex offenders on their website, we at the Benton Police Department list every sex offender on our website at: www.bentonpolice.org   We monitor and update this website as new sex offender information becomes available to us.  If you have any questions or concerns you may contact us at 776-5947.  Stay safe out there.