Sex Offender Watch: A Map of Homes to Keep on Your Radar this Halloween
There are 13 registered sex offenders listed as living in Glen Ellyn, according to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. See what else we discovered about them.
View Sex Offender Map in a larger map
Photos
Patch wants to help Glen Ellyn parents keep their kids safe this fall. With Halloween and trick-or-treating only a month away, we are providing information about registered sex offenders in the area.
In general, the laws center on sex offenders registering in person each year the local police department. They must do so for a required 10-year registration period, unless they are separately required to register for life. Offenders are prohibited from living within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, youth center or other facility that caters to children younger than 18 years old.
Sex Offenders in Your Neighborhood
A search of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry links 13 registered sex offenders to the Village of Glen Ellyn. Some of those registered are outside of the village’s boundaries and have Glen Ellyn postal addresses.
All are compliant with the laws, according to the registry.
How the Map Works
The map is interactive, meaning you can zoom in, zoom out, or move it around to see all the plotted points.
Floating your cursor over one of the markers will give you the name of the sex offender and his address. Double clicking on the marker will give you more information about the specific charge.
The yellow markers represent sex offenders who are not listed as sexual predators. The remaining red pins are those who are labeled as sexual predators in the registry.
The term refers to anyone convicted after July 1, 1999 of certain violations in the Criminal Code of 1961. Sexual predators are required to register for their entire lives.
Who Needs to Register?
Persons convicted of misdemeanor or felony sex crimes involving children under age 18 as well as adult victims are required to register their addresses with the local law enforcement agency in the communities where they reside once a year, under the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act. The same rules apply to out-of-state sex offenders who move to or work in Illinois, as well as out-of-state students attending a state college or university.
The Illinois State Police maintain a detailed Sex Offender Registry of all of the state's registered sex offenders that is available to the public. There, citizens can look up and find the registered sex offenders living in their own communities. Local police departments throughout the state feed information about the individual sex offenders registered in their jurisdictions to the state database.
Similar requirements for registration are also in effect for sex crimes committed against adults — especially adults with disabilities.
A sex offender must register annually in person at the local police department for the duration of the required 10-year registration period.
In addition, registered sex offenders are prohibited from residing within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, youth center or other facility catering to children under age 18.
Rules for Halloween
In July 2005, a new state law was passed barring registered sex offenders from participating in any holiday event involving children, including Halloween. This same law also prohibits sex offenders from dressing as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.
During Halloween, sex offenders are not allowed to distribute candy to children; however, the law does give leeway to sex offenders who are parents or legal guardians of children under age 18 living in the home. While those sex offenders are still barred from handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, other household members can participate in Halloween activities.
To avoid violating the law, registered sex offenders often are advised by police to keep porch lights turned off to avoid attracting children on Halloween and to not answer the door. Registered sex offenders also are prohibited from leaving the house dressed in costumes.
Local Editor Carrie Frillman contributed to this report.
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IL Citizen
3:59 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012
When it comes to RSOs, I guess it doesn't matter what the law really says or that reporters check facts before publishing their stories. Under current law, only RSOs on probation or parole are banned from participating in Halloween & other holiday events (such as dressing up as Santa). However, beginning in 2013 ALL registered child sex offenders will be banned from participating in holiday events involving children.
In regard to RSOs listed as "sexual predators," this again could benefit from the reporter doing a little homework while writing their story. In IL, being labeled as a "sexual predator" does not automatically mean the offender is any more dangerous than any other RSO. The "sexual predator" classification is solely based on offense. Even a non-violent, no-contact, 1st-time offense can label someone as a "sexual predator." Because so many offenses are listed under the "sexual predator" category, over 50% of all RSOs in IL are classified as "sexual predators."
Jenn L
9:37 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Unless the article was edited after your comment, Mary Ann did not make any claim that those classified as sexual predators are any more dangerous than anyone else on the list - or anyone at all, for that matter. She clearly states that these individuals are classified as predators because they were convicted of one of a group of certain violations specifically listed in the Criminal Code and links directly to that section of code.
Also, registered offenders are in fact banned from handing out candy, and have been since 2005. Beginning Jan 1, 2013, violation of this ban is a separate felony.
Madalyn
7:56 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
I am more worried of the complacency that this list can cause by thinking that because a house is NOT on the list than all is ok. I would rather have the children go trick or treating realizing that they are NEVER to go alone and NEVER go in someone's house without a parent or trusted adult along with them. Thank you for posting the maps, the community needs to be made aware so they can better protect their children.
Julie Farrell
10:35 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thank you for the details, IL Citizen.
Since you're sarcastically poking at Ms. Lopez's research, I'd like to poke at yours a little bit. Where is your information garnered from? Perhaps Ms. Lopez didn't include that information because it wasn't available to her from a viable source? As every reporter knows, citing sources when claiming fact is a requirement for credibility. In the internet news realm, as so much information is vehemently spread as fact with no evidence thereof, this is particularly important in order to avoid spreading what amounts to nothing more than rumor.
That being said, I'm not saying you're wrong as I don't know what the laws state, I'm simply requesting that your claims be backed with factual sources.
IL Citizen
1:09 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Every reporter should verify their information before submitting a story. It's not that difficult to find out what the current laws are. However, searching the IL SOR can lead to finding conflicting and even out-dated information.
A call to the state police sex offender unit can clear up any misinformation or answer any questions the public or reporters might have (although, I highly doubt too many of "the public" care to do any research beyond what they read or hear on the news when it comes to RSOs).
The information I got pertaining to the "sexual predator" classification in IL came from calling the I-SORT hotline. The woman I spoke with concurred that the "sexual predator" label has nothing to do with risk or severity of crime. It's simply how IL classifies those RSOs who are subject to lifetime registration. The entire SOR database is available for download as an Excel file. Once downloaded, it can be sorted however one wishes. The last time I downloaded the database was probably May 2012. At that time, approximately 51% of RSOs in IL were classified as "sexual predators."
Julie Farrell
10:37 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Great points to bring to the forefront, Madelyn. Thank you.
IL Citizen
2:55 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Jenn L. I stand by my earlier post about the current Halloween law affecting only RSOs on probation and parole. From the website of the sponsor of the revised law that will take effect in Jan 2013: "A 2005 Dillard law (House Bill 121/PA 94-0159) prohibits sex offenders from participating in any holiday event involving children younger than 18 years of age as a condition of their probation, parole, mandatory supervised release or conditional discharge. A more recent law (SB 3579/PA 97-0699) sponsored by Sen. Dillard this year restricts all child sex offenders from participating in these same types of holiday events. Offenders who break these laws may be subject to fines or revocation of their parole or probation, and could face additional jail time."