FAC Letter to Volusia Sheriff and Public Records Request
It was recently brought to our attention that the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is requiring personal information from persons required to register who intended to travel. Specifically the means of travel (including copies of flight information) for domestic travel and purpose of travel for domestic and international travel.
If you are not on probation, you are not required to request permission to travel. Accordingly, your purpose for going someplace is none of the Sheriff’s office’s business. Similarly, if you travel domestically, you are not required to give your flight information or mode of travel. The registration statutes do not require it and to our knowledge there is no ordinance that requires that information to be collected.
FAC sent the following letter to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, to find out under what authority he is requesting this information, for what purpose it is collected and who is given access to this personal information. Separately, we sent a public information request to the records custodian for copies of these forms and what was done with them.
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Jm reports that this is ‘Still happening. I trvel wednesday driving but they count the drive dus as days away. I fly and they condider the fly day a day and i still need to report flights and car used etc. not on paper for 20 years…’
Just to bring this thread back to the forefront, I did my semi-annual registration this morning in Hernando County. They use civilian personnel to do the registrations now. I informed this person that I plan on going up to MA in June for a family reunion, and she said that I need to come in 48 hours before leaving to fill out an itinerary for my trip. I said that as far as I know, I don’t have to do that because I’m not under any kind of supervision. She then said that I’d have to talk to the detective in charge.
On what I said to her, was I right to say that I don’t need to get permission to leave the state?
if you plan to establish a temporary residence in MA (3 or more days in the aggregate), you are incorrect.
If you plan to go to MA for a day, you are correct.
Either way, Peter P is not required to provide an ‘itinerary.’
Also I think it is 3 days at the same address. Please check ma laws as well
Hernando as well, and when I travel I usually try to bot stay in a state(after making sure of requirements) more than 24 hours so registration requirements dont apply to temporary addresses. It’s a complex legal world we face when traveling for
After serving this country I find no State in the UNITED STATES ARE UNITED. It’s sad but the truth
Have done a few road trips but again I have to scan and make sure of their legal proceedings of registry.
Served and now I’m under more supervision than in the army.
Today Dec 8, I just submitted my travel plans to the criminal registration office at the courthouse in Broward County. I’m not on supervised release and they still asked for detailed travel plans, flight numbers, hotels, etc. seems to me like it’s the same process in every county in Florida!
You are under no obligation to provide flight numbers, just your temporary address.
And if you rent a car, the rental car information
How would you provide rental car information in advance in person? I take it this refers to in-state travel only?
The statute does not specify.
Vehicle information does not say “in advance” it says “after”. Specifically, “A sexual offender shall report in person to the sheriff’s office within 48 hours after any change in vehicles owned to report those vehicle information changes.”
Also, this does not solely refer to in-state travel. Specifically, ““Vehicles owned” means any motor vehicle as defined in s. 320.01, which is registered, coregistered, leased, titled, or rented by a sexual predator or sexual offender; a rented vehicle that a sexual predator or sexual offender is authorized to drive; or a vehicle for which a sexual predator or sexual offender is insured as a driver…”
How one can register a vehicle rented in another state within 48 hours if the person is still out of state, is a question for the Sheriff’s office or the FDLE (or in your declarations).
Thankfully there are counties like St Johns that mostly just collect the travel info required by law. And amazingly St Johns registrants don’t re-offend and rates any higher than Broward, Volusia, Highlands, Osceola.
Pretty much like my issue. The cops, Detective Anderson, came by with a printout of my Registry information from the FDLE website telling me to review it to make sure that everything is correct and sign and date it. I refused and file a complaint with JSO Internal Affairs Department, which was handed over to the Desk Sergeant. I personally spoke with the Sergeant at my residence and he informed me that I was correct and that he would speak to the rouge officer. Anderson is being reassigned and December is he last month with us, do to annual rotations. 😭 On December 1, 2922, this jerk attempted to hand me this form again stating that he was to make sure that everything was correct before handing it over to the replacement officer. I told him to have the replacement officer contact JREC or FDLE to verify the information. I also told hime that his actions are unlawful, to which he got pissed and stated that it was not illegal. As he stormed off I stayed that he was a f-ibg DA, and slammed the door on him! I have told this idiot on several occasions to cited a law,rule, statute or ordinance that compells me to comply. He has yet to do do. In December 2,2022, I called JSO Internal Affairs to file a second complaint, spoke with a female by the name of Detective Wright, who refused to take my complaint or investigate. He told me to continue to refuse every month. I told he that that would be unnecessary harassment. I also told her that they need to educate their officers that I am not their teacher! Stand up for your rights with these idiots or there is no telling how far they will attempt to take it!
Their “because we can” argument needs to be shut down and thrown cold water on. If this fails to happen, “because we can” will be an excuse for any future batsh*t demands they come up with.
This isn’t a chess match. This is elected bullies playing dirty pool for political gain.
Facts
I have seen some sheriffs in the past do news conferences and pledge to run every sex offender out of their county by making them so miserable they will have no other choice but to move. I am not sure but leaning towards it being Grady Judd, but the conference was quite a while back.
Of course, that did not happen, it was all grandstanding. Probably one of the county attorneys piped in and told him he was setting himself up for a lawsuit. But hey, that has never stopped some of these Old West type, hang-em-high Sheriffs.