Mt. Vernon Register-News

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December 22, 2011

Registered sex offenders to pay fee

Offenders must pay $100 annual registration fee beginning Jan. 1, 2012

By TESA CULLI tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Beginning Jan. 1, registered sex offenders in the city will be required to pay a $100 annual registration fee.

“Jan. 1, 2011, the state passed a new law that amended the Sex Offender Registration Act that allowed law enforcement agencies to charge the fee,” explained Mt. Vernon Police Department Detective Eric Breeze, who administers the sex offender registry for the city. “I took over doing the registry in July this year, and took some training on the Act and the law that passed. I took that to the chief, and got it worked out. It will start the first of the year.”

Funds collected go to several agencies as defined in the Act.

“The $100 is broken down between four agencies,” Breeze said. “Thirty dollars is kept by the Mt. Vernon Police Department; $10 is sent to the Sex Offender Management Board Fund, which is part of the state treasurer’s office; $30 goes to the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registration Fund, since the State Police oversee all registration in the state; and $30 goes to the Illinois Attorney General Sex Offender Awareness Training and Education Fund.”

Breeze said discussions on how to use the local funds collected have included using the fee for costs associated with compliance checks, materials used in the office to maintain the registry, and possibly a donation to The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center, “which deals with forensic interviews with child victims of these types of crimes.”

The new fee directly affects the 44 adult registered sex offenders in the city limits and the six juvenile offenders. Breeze said there are five more registered sex offenders in the city, but are considered “inactive” since they are in jail at this time.

Under terms of the Act, convicted sex offenders who are required to register by law will be required to pay the $100 fee.

“Depending on what the conviction is for, some sex offenders have to register once per year, others with more serious charges must register every 90 days, and ... those who become homeless must check in with us once a week,” Breeze said. “If they can’t pay the $100 all at once, they are required to pay throughout the year with quarterly registration.”

Breeze said in addition to enforcing the registration fee, he is also working on locating non-licensed daycares in the city limits.

“We need anybody who has a non-licensed day care facility in their home to call and speak with us so we can have your address,” Breeze said. “We only have a list of licensed daycares to use to calculate the 500 foot radius from the property lines to make sure no offenders live within the area. We have no way to find out about unlicensed daycares unless they tell us.”

Breeze said all daycares do not require licensure, and under terms of the Sex Offender Registry Act, what makes an unlicensed daycare is outlined.

“If they regularly take care of three or more children and only two of the children are their own, that’s an unlicensed daycare,” Breeze explained. “If anyone has a question about whether they are considered a daycare, they can call me for the definitions and types of daycares covered under the statute.”

The city’s sex offender registry is online at www.mvpd.org under the sex offender tab. Photos and addresses of all registered sex offenders in the city limits are posted. Anyone who would like additional information about the registry, the new fee or the definitions of a daycare may contact Breeze at 242-0215.

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