Grant helps city track sex offenders

   The people charged with checking on the whereabouts of sex offenders in El Paso County just got a leg up in the form of a quartermillion-dollar federal grant.

   A $251,793 boost from the U.S. Department of Justice will help Colorado Springs police coordinate efforts with the El Paso County Sheriff 's Office and the U.S. Marshal's Office to help ensure that sex offenders are complying with the law and providing their current addresses.

   This year alone, about 90 of the 1,057 registered offenders in El Paso County left without providing a new address and remain unaccounted for, police say.

   Some will claim they are unaware of the rule, despite their signatures on documents spelling out legal requirements for people convicted of crimes ranging from indecent exposure to child abuse, police say.

   Others simply ignore the law and bet on slipping away without anyone taking notice.

   "Some people just take off," said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Bill Dehart.

   Maybe they just get tired of the sex offender rules and "moved out of state where they think it'll be easier to live."

   The new grant will fund overtime expenses for conducting regular door-todoor checks of everyone on the list, a task undertaken by two police detectives with the aid of sheriff 's deputies and patrol officers. The funds will also pay for training and fostering collaboration among the three agencies.

   The partners must provide a 25 percent match, in this case the salaries of the police lieutenant, sergeant and two detectives assigned to oversee the program.

   The federal grant is part of an $11.8 million grant package to state, local and tribal governments to meet the tracking requirements imposed by the Adam Walsh Act of 2006.

   The money was made available by the Department of Justice SMART Office, or Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. 

Contact the writer: 636-0366 or lance.benzel@gazette.com.