Police stepping up efforts to register sex offenders
Framingham police have adopted a more aggressive approach to tracking down unregistered sex offenders, canvassing neighborhoods and heading to their last known addresses.
The effort comes after none of the 62 known unregistered offenders took part in a temporary amnesty program that would have allowed them to register with the town without fear of arrest.
As of Wednesday, police had found six of those they had tried to locate since the deadline expired last Sunday at midnight.
The six men were brought to the department to register their whereabouts, according to Lieutenant Lou Griffith, spokesman for the Framingham Police Department.
But the effort has placed an additional burden on police officers and delayed full implementation of a system that Framingham police have been devising to map out sex offenders' residences and workplaces, he said.
"There's a substantial number of hours going into trying to find them," Griffith said. "It is incumbent upon them to come in and register with us . . . We had hoped to make their lives and our jobs easier through this program, but no one took advantage."
Framingham officials, who launched the amnesty program for a three-week period on Feb. 22, hoped that the temporary grace period would encourage convicted sex offenders in the community to register their residence and workplace, as required by state law. Anyone convicted of a sex crime in Massachusetts since 1981 is required to register each year with the police department in the municipality where they live.
So far, the men police located have not been arrested or charged because they have cooperated, but police will make arrests if known sex offenders resist registering, Griffith said.
If arrested and convicted of failing to register, an offender faces six months to 2 years in jail or up to a $1,000 fine, Griffith said.
Sex offenders are classified in three levels, based on their likelihood to commit a crime again, with Level 3 being the highest. But since the law was passed in 1996, thousands of offenders have failed to register and are currently unaccounted for, law enforcement officials say.
Of the 62 unregistered offenders believed to be living in Framingham, it is unclear how many are Level 2 or Level 3 offenders, Griffith said. Their levels cannot be determined until they register with the police, he said.
Currently, there are 101 registered sex offenders living in Framingham, Griffith said, with 10 Level 3 offenders and 62 Level 2 offenders. Their residences are scattered in town, he said.
Lieutenant Steven Wuorio is working on a computer program that will map out the location of Level 2 and Level 3 offenders.
The map would not mention offenders by name but would show where they reside, so that school officials and residents with children can be aware, Griffith said.
Selectwoman Ginger Esty, a strong proponent of the amnesty program, said she was disappointed that no one took advantage of it, and said such a mapping system would be useful in helping schools and day care centers plan safe walking routes for children.
Esty pointed to the arrest last month of a convicted sex offender, who is currently in police custody and awaiting a court appearance later this month.
The Framingham man had been reported trespassing near the Framingham Community Charter School in late January, according to police.
Charter School officials confirmed they had reported a man near the school property, but said they were unaware that he was a convicted sex offender.
Robert Kaufman, the school's executive director, said parents should not be concerned about their children's safety. He said school officials have sufficient security measures in place, including video surveillance cameras and locks on building doors.
Eun Lee Koh can be reached at ekoh@globe.com or 508-820-4238. 