Changes to Michigan's sex offender registry tying up law enforcement

MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Michigan's new sex offender registry requirements are in effect. Offenders now have to provide more information to police and some who had been on the registry will be taken off.

However, implementing the new requirements is tying up law enforcement agencies.

The new offender verification period started on July 1st, and local law enforcement says they are using two to three times more staff than in a normal verification period.

The effort is taxing administrative staff, their computer networks and even the online sex offender registry.

With the new requirements in place all of the roughly 47,000 registered sex offenders in Michigan need to register again in person and provide much more information than they have in years past.

“The new information is telephone numbers, cell phone numbers, employment information, vehicle information,” said Trooper Rich Bell, Michigan State Police.

All social media accounts, screen names and passwords must also be provided. Trooper Rich Bell says it's a cumbersome process.

“We've had some complications with the dependability of the system that we're using just due to the burden of additional information we're inputting,” said Bell.

With tens of thousands of sex offenders needing to re-register by July 15th, city, county and state police are all swamped.

“Friday I was in the Grand Rapids Police Department,” said Bell, “we did more than 130.”

However, for many juvenile and minor sex offenders, Public Acts 17, 18 and 19 means they will no longer have to register.

In May, Newschannel 3 spoke to Pearling Dunning about her son Khirhy, who was under 14 when he was convicted.

“He's supposed to be on the registry until 2033 for something he did when he was nine years old,” said Dunning.

However, when we tried to check to see if Dunning's son was still on the registry, it was down.

“It could be the result of all the information we're inputting,” said Bell.

But Bell says, between the additional information now required and the new focus on more dangerous sex offenders, all the efforts will pay off.

Sex offenders who fell off the public registry on July 1st are still on a database that police can track, but they can petition to be removed. Level two and three sex offenders have until July 15th to re-register, level one offenders have until January 15th.

The following are links to the acts covering changes to the registry.

Public Act 17
Public Act 18
Public Act 19