Crime & Safety

DeKalb Sheriff's Office Monitoring Sex Offenders On Halloween

DeKalb County has 953 registered sex offenders.

DECATUR, GA -- The DeKalb County Sheriff’s office says it will be monitoring sexual offenders and predators registered in DeKalb County through Halloween. The agency's Sexual Offender Registration and Tracking (S.O.R.T.) Unit is a specialized team of deputy sheriffs and investigators who regularly register and track known sexual offenders and predators living in DeKalb County.

Each year on October 31, the Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating sends hordes of young people into neighborhoods knocking on strangers’ doors for candy and other freebies. Law enforcement officials consider this event a potential threat to the safety of children who participate.

“Again this year we will keep a close watch on the 21 county residents on the sexual offender registry who are considered to be dangerous predators,” says DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey L. Mann. “These persons are wearing ankle monitors and should not respond to trick-or-treat visitors or leave their residences during the Halloween event.”

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“Parents or guardians who want more information about registered sex offenders should visit our website at www.dekalbsheriff.org for information related to where these persons are located and how they can be notified about their movement within the community,” he says.

The S.O.R.T. Unit monitors active registered sexual offenders, those who are considered “inactive” due to current incarceration, and those who are homeless. Additionally, the Unit monitors “sexually dangerous predators” through VeriTracks®. These are offenders who are required to wear ankle monitors that are tracked by satellite. The locations of these individuals are updated every 60 seconds.

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The DeKalb County Sheriff’s office is not mandated to impose any special Halloween restrictions on registered sex offenders. In Georgia, however, registered sex offenders who are on parole or on probation during Halloween are subject to the following state-imposed restrictions:

  • Increased supervision by the county and the state
  • Prohibition from participation in Halloween-related events
  • Dusk to dawn curfew
  • Some may be directed by the state to report to a certain location and remain there during evening hours

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office does conduct October 31 visits to the residences of offenders classified as predators (those required to wear electronic monitoring devices), in conjunction with DeKalb Probation. There are 21 individuals meeting this criteria as of October 29, 2018.

In DeKalb County, registered sex offenders are not required to report to jail on October 31, as they are in some Georgia counties. Registered sex offenders are only required to report to the jail annually on their birthdays to re-register.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office conducts at least one “spot check” (unscheduled visit) annually to the addresses of registered sex offenders, as required by state law.

As of October 29, 2018, there are 953 individuals on the county's sex offender registry. There are 64 registered offenders in custody in the DeKalb Jail.

See Also:

Decatur Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

Brookhaven Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

Dunwoody Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

DeKalb County 2018 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

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