As part of his Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative, Governor Jim Doyle today announced a new, toll-free “SAFE Tip” hotline for citizens to report information about noncompliant sex offenders to SAFE Teams working to track them down. In addition, callers can learn more about the SAFE Initiative and Wisconsin’s Sex Offender Registry.
“Wisconsin parents and neighbors are key partners in our ongoing efforts to help keep Wisconsin kids and communities safe from sex offenders,” Governor Doyle said. “The ‘SAFE Tip’ hotline is a new tool for citizens to work with law enforcement to help hold sex offenders accountable and prevent them from becoming anonymous in our communities.”
The “SAFE Tip” hotline is 1-877-234-0085. Callers can provide tips about the whereabouts of noncompliant sex offenders, learn more about the SAFE Initiative and the Sex Offender Registry law, and alert authorities of any errors on the Sex Offender Registry website. Calls will be answered by Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry staff Monday through Friday between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. During non-business hours, a voicemail box will be available to take messages. If the call is urgent, callers are encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
In addition to the hotline, the Department of Corrections has also established a “SAFE Tip” email address, docsafetips@doc.state.wi.us. This email address provides citizens another way to provide tips to SAFE Teams, or seek further information about the SAFE Initiative or the Sex Offender Registry. Emails will be answered during normal business hours.
Last month, Governor Doyle announced the SAFE Initiative, a major step forward in the Governor’s ongoing agenda to protect Wisconsin children and communities from the dangers posed by sex offenders. The SAFE Initiative involves state, local, and federal law enforcement partners in a series of innovative strategies focused on keeping kids safe by holding sex offenders accountable for their actions, preventing them from becoming anonymous in our communities, and apprehending and prosecuting those sex offenders who fail to notify authorities of their whereabouts, as required by law. As part of the SAFE Initiative, Governor Doyle directed the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) to form “SAFE Teams,” comprised of retired law enforcement professionals and DOC sex offender registry specialists, to locate, apprehend, and prosecute sex offenders who are not in compliance with the sex offender registry law.
“Citizen ‘SAFE Tips’ will help us tremendously in our efforts to locate and arrest noncompliant sex offenders,” Department of Corrections Secretary Matthew Frank said. “The hotline and email address provides a new opportunity for direct communication between members of the public with critical, actionable information about sex offenders and the SAFE Teams tracking them down.”
Other components of the SAFE Initiative include the following:
· For the first time, Wisconsin parents, grandparents, and neighbors will have access to specific address information for sex offenders required to register in Wisconsin. Beginning December 1, 2005, Governor Doyle has directed the Department of Corrections to make residential address information for all registered sex offenders available to the public on the sex offender registry website. These enhancements to the registry website will complement the wealth of information already available on the site, including updated, enlargeable photographs of the offender's face, physical descriptions, conviction information, compliance status, and in cases where the sex offender is still under some form of supervision, the contact information for the agency supervising the sex offender. Citizens can search for registered offenders by name or zip code online at: http://WIDOCOffenders.org.
· Governor Doyle is directing DOC and the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) to place all of the state’s most dangerous sexual offenders on GPS monitoring. These are individuals who are sexually violent and had been involuntarily committed and placed on supervised release in the community under the Wisconsin’s Sexual Predator Law (Chapter 980). Governor Doyle is also calling for legislation to ensure that future sex offenders committed under the Chapter 980 law would be subject to lifetime GPS surveillance, even if a court eventually orders their release from supervision. In addition, Governor Doyle has directed DOC to begin placing other serious child sex offenders who are released from state correctional facilities on GPS monitoring. Using a combination of state and federal resources, the state will use GPS technology to monitor approximately 200 sex offenders as a result of the SAFE Initiative.
· Governor Doyle is convening a statewide “SAFE Task Force” comprised of state, local, and federal law enforcement officials and representatives from DOC and OJA with the goal of improving Wisconsin’s sex offender registry and tracking down those offenders who fail to comply with the registry requirements. The Task Force will coordinate statewide efforts in investigating, locating, apprehending, and prosecuting sex offenders who try to become anonymous from Wisconsin law enforcement agencies and citizens. The SAFE Task Force is co-chaired by Outagamie County Sheriff Brad Gehring and DOC Deputy Secretary and former Dane County Sheriff Rick Raemisch.
· As a result of one of Governor Doyle’s 2005-07 biennial budget initiatives, registered sex offenders are now required to pay an annual $50 Sex Offender Management Fee to help offset the cost of supervision and management of the sex offender registry that are incurred by the Department of Corrections. As part of the SAFE Initiative, Governor Doyle will work with the Legislature to expand the Sex Offender Management Fee to help cover ongoing future costs of the SAFE Initiative.
“Wisconsin’s sex predator laws and penalties are among the toughest in the nation,” Governor Doyle said. “But keeping our kids safe is a never-ending job. We must remain vigilant, and we must keep improving our system for finding, prosecuting, and tracking these predators.”
“SAFE Tip” hotline: 1-877-234-0085
“SAFE Tip” email address: docsafetips@doc.state.wi.us
