BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA – March 27, 2020. The Florida Action Committee (FAC), the ACLU of Florida and the Florida Justice Institute are calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to temporarily suspend the requirement that persons required to register for past sexual offenses appear in-person at the Sheriff’s office to report during the Coronavirus state of emergency.
Florida Statutes mandate in-person reporting every six months, quarterly, or monthly for registrants who are transient. Changes to vehicles or reporting travel for three or more days (or changes to prior reported travel) must also be reported within 48 hours in-person. Failure to report in-person is a felony. In some cases, the registrant is also required to report to the driver’s license offices, which are not even open during this crisis.
Earlier this month the Governor issued Executive Order 20-52 declaring a State of Emergency for COVID-19. Governments across the world are issuing stay-at-home orders and the World Health Organization warns people to avoid public places to protect themselves and their communities from the pandemic. The Florida Department of Corrections announced that officers are working with individuals on supervision to adjust reporting schedules to minimize congregating at probation offices and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite the crisis, Florida has not yet suspended, for the duration of the emergency, the requirement that persons on the registry appear in-person at Sheriff’s offices across the state to report matters that can easily be reported online, by mail or over the phone.
“Requiring in-person reporting in Sheriff’s offices, subjects the registrants and the law enforcement staff processing the reports to a heightened risk of contagion that affects the law enforcement and registrant’s families and the public at large.”, says FAC President, Gail Colletta. “It’s irrational to put this population in a position where they must choose between risking their health or risking a felony.”
The ACLU of Florida has been in talks with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which it has urged to support this request. It is important to note that the groups are not calling on the Governor to suspend the registration obligation, just to allow the reporting to be done online, by mail or by phone during this state of emergency in order to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
For more information contact: [email protected]
Florida Action Committee (FAC), founded in 2006, is a state-wide consortium of concerned citizens and professionals whose purpose is to promote the prevention of sexual abuse while preserving the safety and dignity of all citizens through carefully structured laws targeting the truly violent, forced, and/or dangerous predatory acts of sex. FAC believes that many aspects of the current approach to sex offenders seriously undermine justice and actually increase the threat of sexual assault against others, particularly children. FAC opposes a publicized registry of sex offenders and seeks to bring an end to the humiliation of people who have already paid for their crimes. FAC asserts that only by supporting justice for all people—offenders and victims alike can a truly safe society be built and secured for all Americans.
Yesterday, April 1, 2020 I did my bi annual reporting with the Sheriff’s Office in Seminole County. It was done via Google Duo, a face to face telephone call. The lady asked a few questions and the whole interview lasted about 5 minutes.
I don’t know why they don’t it like this all the time. Not only was it safer, but also saved on gas and travel time.
How does in person registration not violate the 4th amendment in the first place? Every time I enter the jail I’m subjected to a pat down search. I am required to register at the local jail (which is the Sheriff’s office) and in order to enter I must consent to a search. But a pat down search (or Terry stop) of a person is only allowed under the 4th amendment for reasonable suspicion. Sometimes the officer is brazen enough to search my pockets and open my wallet. So now I don’t bring anything with me when I register.
Yikes. That sound like when I first started registering back in 1997. I moved after a few months because I was going home from those experiences shaking and in tears. It was worse than when first arrested. They would take you in the back with just you and a detective in a private room and interrogate you for up to 2 hours. If the deputy did not like what you had to say, you got a polygraph.
I guess there were not as many people required to register back then. Also if they had not made it retroactive, I wouldn’t be on it in the first place.
Well the reason they do the search is because a jail is a secure facility. Which is why we should have a separate office we can go to instead. What you describe is nightmarish. I definitely would have messed with them hard and wasted their time so they never kept me around that long. Be strong, laugh in the face of fascists.
They also do an aggressive pat down in Duval County in the separate Felony Registration Office, they hold your hands behind your back and pat you down. Very dehumanizing.
So where on the internet, besides this website, can I find this press release?
it was republished by ACSOL and it was only sent out to media at the time it was posted. I had one interview so far and that story will likely publish on Monday.
Alright! Great!
Usually when I email the Governor’s office when requested by FAC, I get a robo email in return. No response at all this time.
It’s OK if they don’t respond. When they receive our messages, it helps give them an idea of where public opinion is and what people think are important.
I saw on the news he was being interviewed about a letter sent to him from the Workers union that has been on his desk for a week. When asked why he hasn’t read it yet, he moved onto the next question without responding.
Neither bashing him nor sticking up for him but at this time with all he and his office are being bombarded with, good luck on getting any response. During “Non” crises times it is hard to get any response, but with what we are going through right now, to his office, 99% of workload is not going to get done as they focus on emergency crisis mode.
Yes,
You get the machine, that’s what we get.
God Bless the Florida Action Committee!
Best of luck!! Praying everyone stays healthy, and home. Very contagious and deadly virus. Very scary. Very real.
Amazing press release Unbelievable our volunteers are.
Sadly by time they get around to making a decision, the crises will have passed.
Having said that, maybe a precedent going forward when, not if, we face some other crises in the future.
The precedent the State is afraid of is allowing registration to be done online, by mail or by phone, regardless of the reason.