While FAC deals only with registry issues, many of our members are having to deal with sex offender probation, too.
In reading articles published throughout the United States, one will soon see that it is becoming a common occurrence to have U. S. Marshalls serving on specially assigned task forces to assist local law enforcement agencies in so-called compliance checks for people forced onto the registry. Research shows that these compliance checks are costing taxpayers a great deal of money and doing almost nothing to increase public safety.
This past Wednesday evening at 9:30 pm, our doorbell rang. Upon opening our front door, I was met by my husband’s probation officer along with eight other armed, bulletproof-vest-wearing individuals from probation and the U. S. Marshall’s Department, making for a total of nine individuals. The first man entered our home yelling, “U. S. Marshalls entering!” (We had just had a full house search a month ago by armed LE and will get another one on Halloween.)
My husband and I were first told that we had to leave the house. Upon seeing that my husband was having some difficulty trying to navigate his way outside in the dark, one of the invading individuals decided that we could remain in a front room. Three individuals used flashlights to search outside our home while four individuals searched the inside of our home. Two individuals remained with my husband and me, with my husband’s PO trying to quiz my husband on what electronic devices he owns. (Even though I have sent various medical reports to probation documenting my husband’s severe cognitive loss along with a civil court’s declaration of incapacity for him, probation has told me that they do not want me to bring up his dementia anymore. My husband is expected to follow all probation rules that someone without dementia is expected to follow, because that is what the statutes state.) So, I sat quietly as my husband struggled to answer his probation officer with his not knowing what the answers were. Finally, I looked at one of the other officers and quickly stated that my husband has been declared incapacitated by a civil court. At that point, she took over and told his probation officer that she was only to talk to me – not my husband. This was the first experience for me with probation in dealing with anyone that has any common sense.
When I inquired as to why the search was occurring, I was told that this is happening all over Florida for anyone on probation – not just sex offense probation. I was also told that our home was chosen randomly by a computer. All the registrants in our neighborhood who were eligible for this search were also targeted that night; therefore, I am not sure how “random” our search was, unless it is by neighborhood.
Just that morning, I had commented on an article in Pawnee County, Oklahoma about the wasted money and man hours spent on a compliance check that the local sheriff touted had made his county so much safer. Our experience this past Wednesday was not a compliance check per se, but had the same effect. While these nine individuals were combing our neighborhood, a very safe 55+ gated community, and finding nothing illegal, the residents on the east side of our city are begging for the presence of more LE’s because of the rapidly increasing gun crimes in their once safe neighborhoods. Our police department chief has been “throwing up his hands”, not knowing how to combat the rapidly rising gun violence there. There were nine individuals that he could have used this past Wednesday evening, but common sense is quickly leaving our legal system.
I was also told that these searches are necessary as one such search helped them find a 4-year-old girl tied up. My heart breaks for that little girl, but searching the homes of people who are now law-abiding citizens does nothing to prevent such situations from occurring. It only takes LE away from watching people they know are a threat.
So, If you are on probation in Florida, you could be getting a swat-team-style search some evening close to your curfew time, and, as always, will be told that these actions are making society safer.
By the way, I decided to follow the advice that someone posted at our FAC website a couple of years ago: I did not withdraw in any way the next day. I made sure that I was outside, as always, pulling weeds in our front yard and waving and speaking to my neighbors. If anyone ever asks me what was going on that night, I will answer that they were witnessing a waste of their hard-earned taxpayer money. Then I will give them a friendly smile, and the discussion will be over.
Well here’s one for you. I’m on the registry for role playing back in ‘2006 on an adult chat room “romance chat room” on yahoo.com, eighteen or older was one of the terms and conditions of being there. While I was in there I was approached several times, saying if you see this one particular screen name, they like to role play. This happened several times in a month. So one day I saw this screen name I clicked on it and we started chatting and one thing led to another until I turned on my web cam that i had went out an bought so I could play. This was before all the computers started coming out with cameras. So I did my part in the role play and turned on my new web cam. Well it turned out to be two detectives from Martin County Sheriff’s department and they recorded me and said they were a 14 year old girl. They came to my house all the way from Stuart Fl. Three and half hour drive to south daytona fl. and broke into my moble home without me being there and called me telling me that somebody must have broke into my moble home. So, when I arrived to my home I found lots of police cars in my driveway. When I tried to enter my home, two detectives took me behind one of their cars and started questioning me. I asked what they found in my trailer? They then said, let me tell you why we are here. Have you ever used this screen name. I said from time to time I have and they asked if anyone else would have used it. This was because I didn’t show my face. They kept saying that they had me on video masterbating to a 14 year old girl. They didn’t have a camera on their end, so they could have been anybody they wanted to be. To this day, there has never been a search warrant produced. They said they read it to the air. There was never a warrant to this day. I wound up doing ten years over an eleven year period because of two probation violations. I finally got a judge that let me do the rest of a ten year plea deal that allowed me credit of my time served at that time it was eight years applied to a ten year sentence and termination of probation. So of course I took it. I had violated this time by an anonamous phone call saying I was getting on the internet. I was violated because my probation officer saw an icon of facebook. Just the f. She violated me for that and thats when I took the deal that would terminate my probation. Ive been out of prison three and a half years now and have been doing everything the way I’m supposed too. I have a roommate and he’s been here while I was away for a few years. So a year and a half or so ago, my roomate bought a car. He has gotten himself into a little trouble and got arrested and his car got impounded by the police dept. So I tried to help him by getting his car out of impound so he would at least still have it for later without the impound bill going so high. It was still very close to seven hundred dollars after having to get a form notarized by him so I could retrieve his car. Here’s what just happened to me. I was met at my front door by an officer that knocked at my door. I opened the door to see an officer standing there. Remember, I’m not on probation. He asked me to come outside to sign a paper for him. When I stepped outside wearing just a thin pair of short and flip flops as it was around 8 am. He proceeded to put my arms behind my back and put the cuffs on so sight that they cut into my wrists. I’m almost 70 years old now, in march. He made me get into the back of his patrol car and took me to jail. The reason: My roommates car that was released to me and I drove it from the impound yard to my house and put the keys on my roommates bed. Mind you now. This car has been in my front yard in the driveway for a year and a half. I could not believe it. I have just had injections in my lower spine with steroids because of lots of disc compressions. Well after being processed and put into a single cell with another inmate on a boat on the floor tripping over each other and having to sleep on that metal bunk. Now I can barely walk and all this is because my roommates car is in my driveway….I’m going to see an attorney Monday that represented me at pretrial. There’s got to be something I can do to this department for the way I was treated and now I’m facing more medical issues because of how I was treated after having two spinal injections at L4-L5, S1. In hopes that the compressions that I have on those nerves will ease up. But that all is out the window now by the way they treated me. I hope and pray that there is somebody or organization out there that can help me. I have a pretrial number to call at the Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, Fl. This was definately an illegal move on their part and the way I was treated. This should be a law suit. I’m going to find out because Now I can hardly walk due to the way I was treated. If anyone out there can help direct me in where, what and how to do this, I sure would appreciate it very much…Thank you in advance…. Sam in Edgewater, Fl.
I heard a term on the news today… “An investigation in search of a crime”. Does this concept sound familiar? Just had to share.
Al
We could have fun with that one.
“Finding crime where crime doesn’t exist”.
“Creating crimes by stirring up the bee’s nests”
“Action report: Searching for crimes that we made up with entrapment”
“digging in people’s pasts and ruining their lives”
“John thought he could hide the crime from 1952, but now as he lay dying in a hospital bed at age 90, we will make sure he goes to prison and dies there. Bye Bye Grandpa”.
Sometimes I think a 2nd world trade center like attack could take place and during the broadcast the reporter would say
” Oh wait, we have to break away from this story with developing news. A man was just arrested for meeting officers for sex. Oh wait, no the man was meeting a minor who turned out to be a cop. Folks we are going to stay with this story and are on the way to this scum bags house to harass, um speak with his family”.
Just a quick search indicates that a warrantless search of a residence performed by anyone other than the probation officers themselves is illegal. It seems Grubbs v. State (1979) is controlling. The Florida Supreme Court held that warrantless searches of a probationer are legal if performed by a PO but not if performed by any other LEO. Is there something I’m legally missing…some newer case law?
Grand phubah? What an adreanline rush.Come on Cherokee and many of you all lighten up. Nothing wrong with compliance checks, deminital checks, character checks, or the old welfare checks people get monthly or even social security checks. I welcome the opportunity. If I was still in my 30’s or whatever I would still want them to call. Show’s humanitarism. and a respectful government.
Sure even my sister in her ways checks on me course thats my sister. I’m sure everybody gets over it in many ways or are w eall angry. Sounds like it. Even I’m angry at many times. Being angry is one thing and so is telling one as derek says get the F out of here. So whats the best Action.
See using “Actions” in the right way can make one’s ordeal a lot better or bitter. Now I’m no harvard psychologiist but I did study Criminal Justice in College. If they call first I have no problem but disrespect is disrespect. So who’s a respector of persons today, no matter what ordeal it is or who is showing love in some meanful way.
When I lived in Florida the local police department came for an address monthly and I thought what a waste of money. So crime rates goes up and you spend time being a babysitter to an adult. People who do this must of been hall monitors growing up and a big head. Mom and dad guess what I do for a living, I harass people who are real monsters based on lies and I get a promotion every time one fails to tell the color of their shoes to sheriff Roscoe.
Brandon
I use to work in law enforcement. The registry did not exist then. However, if it did and they assigned me to that duty, I would have quit. Seems more of a punishment to be assigned to that squad. However, some that like being a cop but don’t really want to do anything but do easy assignments, is prime for the job.
Think about it, you get to boss someone around and have power over them. Not even police work if you ask me. The police department janitor gets more praise from me than someone who chooses to be on the R.H.S— Registry Harassment Squad.
Cherokeejack,
No registry officer I have met considered their assignment a penalty – far from it. That most registrants are afraid to stand up to them or call their bluffs when they make up rules on the spot (no matter how outlandish) caters to their amped up God complex.
The old one out here threatened to arrest me because I supposedly didn’t report my employment. Told first, I did and had the docs to prove it, and second that it wasn’t necessary because my job wasn’t in her county and was registered the other. Then she said if I pissed her off again, she’d arrest me anyway and sort it out later.
Then it got fun. I told her to go ahead and arrest me. My registration receipts and the recording of this conversation (waving my cell as I said it) was coming into the hearing and will be forwarded in official complaints to the Sheriff, the Attorney General, the circuit court, and the POST council. It ended with her saying she was going to check on all that and giving me a dirty look.
That lady’s gone now. I don’t think I had anything to do with that, but it’s still a fond memory.
Dustin
I had a similar experience a few years back. I was at a park doing some work. My vehicle was parked along the curb. They ran my tags and once they got a hit that I was on Hitler’s list, they started walking towards me.
There were two officers, a younger rookie cop and an older cop. The older cop was in charge and he, I kid you not, held me for 45 minutes while he got ahold of the FDLE. He wanted to arrest me for being in the park but FDLE kept telling him I was under the old rules and I was not on probation.
Anyway he continued to harass me and the younger and WAY taller rookie was looking at me behind the Sgt’s back like “I wish we could on on patrol and find a real crime to stop”. Finally I got stern and said “Go ahead and arrest me so I can get my families high profile lawyer on the phone. I have done nothing wrong and 7 times I agreed to leave anyways, and the FDLE told you , you cannot arrest me. So either arrest me and face termination for unlawful arrest or let me go the HELL home.”
He threw my drivers license on the ground and screamed “AND DONT COME BACK”. Again the other officer gave me the sad eyes of apology but he did not want to speak up and get yelled at too.
I never reported that incident. I have not been back that park but there is one right across the street I still go to. Haven’t seen that cop since. Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him but, Maybe he stepped on a rusty nail and his foot fell off. I know he did not like the fact I stood my ground. Yes I was nervous but I put up with that crap when I was a cop from others higher up than me, was not going to be mistreated by this power hungry prick.
And please note, I never said anything offensive to him and threatened him. I tried my best to de-escalate the situation but it was extremely close with this bad apple. If I had been held for a bit longer I believe one of us would have made a bad decision. I was not going to jail for some made up bullshit.
Most of us know for anyone with a sex offense and on the registry, you are almost assured one strike and you are out.
As A Kindly Reminder, as Well as a Former Victim to these LEO’s Behaviors, especially while on Probation, as Probation or any State/Federal Compliance (Parole etc) is a 24/7 and 365 Days a Week OPEN DOOR POLICY for THE LEO’s to ENTER, without an Advanced Reservation (NO OPEN TABLE, etc)….SO, You can always reserve a seat at your dinner table for them in perpetuity with a note card saying ‘Welcome Ass-Stain’ (A Light beaming on it)—thats what I placed on the Center Plate…..they didn’t like it…but it seemed to send the message……
Next time try recording the interaction to hold the police accountable and keep them on their best behavior. Make sure to use a service that immediately saves and stores to cloud, so if they rip the camera from your hands, the footage will be safe (and you can sue them – always take every opportunity you can to financially attack these fascists in court).
Thank God i’m not on paper, because when these weedend warriors show up at my residence, I can respond to their questions with “get a warrant”, which is followed with 2 words– first word starts with F and rhymes with “duck”, and the second word is the opposite of “on.”
Derek
I know what I am going to do next time. I know the two times the officer checks on me. I am not on probation. So If I see a large law enforcement presence next time at my door like last time, I won’t answer the door but go on the computer and look at the warrants list on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website.
Of course, the office who checks on me told me “If you don’t come to the door, we will go to every neighbor on the street and ask if they have seen you”. Since the do not give notifications on my, I do not want that. I will go to the door but they are not coming in my house. Got nothing to hide but they are not planting shit in my house just so I can get back in the system.
I worked in law enforcement so I know for a fact there are some dirty cops who would do almost anything to get someone back in the system. God blessed me with a great lady as a probation officer while I was on probation. Only twice did she give me crap. Once was a misunderstanding (I was never told that while on probation you cannot go to Disney)
The 2nd time an anonymous A-hole called in a fake tip that I had kidnapped someone and had them in my attic. As hot as attics get in Florida, I guess they would have been dead if they were really up there.
After that she basically left me alone
Derek,,,Also Toss them a Copy of Caniglia v. Strom, out your window, just make sure it falls on the ground first and doesn’t hit these knuckleheads…
And also Claim your 4th and 5th Amendment Rights….
AS I told them the other month when they (3 Male US Marshals) threatened me cause I would not go outside to speak with them, they said they would get a court order…well then 3 minutes later, 3 female Local Police Officers-all of whom I personally Know were shocked to realize that I am a ‘Person Forced to Register’, were very nice and just left…I guess in bewilderment….
I did not sign the compliance form…they just asked for my full name and address…that is it….then they left
The 3 Male US Marshals were big baby bullies….they were very very hateful MEN!
I have a very hard time believing that a “compliance check” rescued a tied up 4 year old. That certainly would have made the news. The press release from the LE office conducting that check would have been even more sickening and self-congratulatory than ever.
Hello!! I wrote this a hundred times before, over the past 20 years, and ill say it again, Unconstitutional punitive, post we ex facto punishment, resulting in banishment, in order to set the building blocks, for the Police State.
Mark
The Grand Phubas of justice have ruled nothing is punishment to those with sexual offenses. I heard a rumor they will do away with polygraphs and bring back the ancient torture procedure where they ram bamboo shoots under your finger nails to get you to confess to all the unsolved crimes in your area.
So far I have been linked to the D.B Cooper case and I shot J.F.K and J.R Ewing from the show Dallas. (True story. I showed them how useless their polygraphs are when I confessed to all those and passed lol)
No child was ever found tied up during a compliance check. That is a lie, and a self-serving one.
Please do not let them waste your empathy on fake children.
Jacob
No I remember the story. It was in 1971 in Minnesota. They were checking on someone on probation and found another victim. They didn’t lie they just left out the detail that it happened before that officer was even born, in another state. Oh and the story was actually from a fictional crime novel by author and best seller Alfred E. Newman.
To clarify, by “on probation in Florida,” do we mean on probation by the FL state Dept of Corrections or by the United States Probation Office and its three Florida Federal districts?
Hard to believe it would both doing this at the same time.
Florida (state) probation
I believe the state of Florida needs to be put on probation for fraud due to having anybody that visits Florida, lived in Florida or is dead all to get more money from the fed of their joke of the registry. ( Registry is a joke and has been since its creation). Dead people don’t commit crimes; yet those in Tallahassee do every year passing bs laws.
Brandon
“Dead people don’t commit crimes” ?
Don’t you believe in Ghost? They are sneaky bastards and have a knack for stealing all my ice cream while I am sleeping.
Problem is, you cannot arrest ghost cause the handcuffs just fall right off. :)~
Having said that, if the States could lock them up, they would be able to really get those Federal funds increased. Sounds crazy but so does putting dead folks on the registry. Like they are a safety risk.
CherokeeJack
Move your ice cream out of the freezer making it liquify, their non throats aren’t capable to handle liquids. Don’t ask me I’m not a Ghostbuster; however I’m someone to call if a bs bill needs to be defeated or other forms of support.
Everything about the registry and it’s supporters doesn’t make sense. You can’t touch my kids; yet the ones over there you can mingle with at will. Restrictions just proves the country has gone mad and we need a Dr. Loomis. Lawmakers have fooled the public, but they haven’t fooled me. They have the darkest eyes, the Devil’s eyes. Cut to black. Sorry watching a Halloween movie concept.
“probation has told me that they do not want me to bring up his dementia anymore.”
Tough! Keep bringing it up. They don’t want to hear about it because it screws up their bs narrative to find SOMETHING to violate a probationer for.
Whether you’re convicted of a sex offense, DUI, robbery, conspiracy, theft, disturbing the peace, etc, probation is a waste of tax payer money. Period.
We need to rid the justice system of the probation department. If your crime requires jail/prison time, the same plea deals can be made for lesser time but there is no need for probation. It’s not parole.
If your crime is petty and doesn’t require jail/prison, then do 100 hours of community service and be done with it. Probation does not and cannot stop a criminal minded person from committing more crimes. And they look for stupid things to violate people for anyway.
When I was on probation in New Haven, CT., I was violated for working in a restaurant that had a bar. When the court dates were over and the judge sent me back out on probation “as it left off” (not starting over again) I moved to Bridgeport, CT where the probation department there had no problem with the NEW restaurant/bar I was working in which was literally 1 block away from their office and they used to come to that place for lunch.
Probation is a waste of money and time. But we’ll get the SOR abolished before we could ever get the probation dept abolished. The courts but too much stock in that probation department. And for what? Well, we know, don’t we? Pathetic.
Maestro
If I was a probation officer, I sure wouldn’t eat where one of my probationers worked. If you were tough on the probationer, I would be afraid they would put a slimy slug in my salad or worse LOL :)~
A 4-year-old girl tied up? I strongly suspect that’s just another LEO lie. If that were the case, then why are they conducting randomly computer-generated searches rather than starting with those at the highest risk of reoffending as they might be more likely to have tied-up 4-year-olds than someone with, for example, a CP offense. Yeah, given their statement, randomly conducted searches make no sense. They lie.
I’m confused on this one. Are you saying the feds join forces with state authorities to make sure RSOs on state probation are compliant? I ask because I’ve been on federal probation (supervised release) in Central Florida for 5 years and never had anything like this happen.
Yes, I was told that U. S. Marshals are joining up with state probation officers, at least in Florida. I do not know about federal probation.
U. S. Marshall task forces are being assigned all over the U. S. to pair up with local LE for compliance checks. Ours was by state probation officers accompanied by marshals, so a little different but ooooooh sooooo similar.
Think of the money being spent on these checks and what do they have to show for them?
Media
When it is all said and done, the agencies that formed the joint task force, will join together for a photo op and news briefing. They will pad the #’s of those arrested making minor violations sound like new sex offenses were committed. When in fact, John Boy Jones got arrested because he was 1/2 centimeter too close to a school when they used an Ace hardware tape measure instead of one from Home Depot.
Grants will be given to create a new task force and they will hire new officers, fancy new patrol cars, special flak jackets and grenade launchers, all in the name of keeping the neighbors safe from the bastards that should be in prison and hung by their privates. (According to some sheriffs)
A reality show will get picked up by HBO called “The predators among us” staring John Walsh as host. His partner will be Ice T. They will ride along with the task force in different counties tracking down those who should not walk among us. Get your popcorn ready and your lawyer on speed dial.
Interesting. Quite a few registrants experienced the same type of thing this past week in Alachua County (Gainesville). It was explained as a cross-training exercise between multiple police agencies, the county sheriff and probation. Curiously, a member of OPPAGA was also present. For those who are not familiar with that group, it is an independent oversight agency that was there to observe and make sure all rules were followed. In my incident, High Springs PD, Gainesville PD, Alachua County Sheriff and probation were represented.
Every member of the house (4 of 5 present) was asked to step outside and were questioned about devices, e-mails, and so forth. Vehicles were searched. Even the person who was not on any supervision and not a registrant was asked to step outside while the search was going on. She was not questioned. Total search time about 45 minutes.
Later, in talking to others, a minimum of nine registrant residences were “hit” that same night.
I will say in my particular experience, all of the law enforcement personnel (nine of them) were polite and professional in their actions.
I got the impression this was a one-time occurrence, but not sure. I guess we will find out.
U. S. Marshals were present as one of them loudly announced “U. S. Marshals entering the house”.
When I asked if the search was because of probation or the registry, I was told that this is happening to all people on any type of state probation: drug dealers, murderers, etc. I was told we were randomly picked and most likely will never happen again to us, but these searches are going to continue and we could be “randomly” picked again.
If it was random, why are they picking so many registrants? as in everyone in my neighborhood who was eligible for such a search?
I agree, the people could not have been nicer to us. I felt they all knew that there was nothing criminal going on in our home and never will be. After seeing my husband’s Navy retirement box with the flag and all of this duty stations, several took the time to thank him for his service as they left the home. The last person out said to us, “Bless you.”
It is still wrong what they did as they were “hitting” law-abiding citizens while there were real criminals roaming the streets of Gainesville elsewhere.
Media
I am so sorry you had to go through that. My time on probation was almost worse than when I was in prison. I say that because I was already in prison while locked up and all they could do to me was put me in solitary. But while on probation, you are somewhat free but look over your shoulder every waking minute wondering if this is the day they decide they want you back in a prison dorm.
Prayers for you and your family to get through this. I used this type of harassment and behavior in my favor before a judge and got off probation 6 years early. Cost me a lot of money at the time but was worth it for “Some” freedom.
The Registry is a sub category of probation as far as I am concerned. And the neighbors are our probations officers, always staring as they drive by the house. I asked one lady once, “What do you expect to see when you drive by, me standing there naked pleasuring myself?”
When I was on probation, I moved for this same reason. I lived at the time, in the state, the county AND the city. So one night I got a knock at the door. I peeked out and just saw the P.O. When I opened the door, the P.O stepped aside and Sheriff’s deputies, City police officers and FDLE agents all swarmed my house.
They literally tore my house apart. I asked what they were looking for and was told an anonymous tipster had said I had porn on my computer. They tore my house apart for 30 minutes before even going to my computer.
Nothing was found illegal or even suspect anywhere in my house or on my computer. I asked who was going to pay for the damages and one of the agents looked me in the eye and said “Do you want to go to jail you $#%^@”
Something good did come of it though, my probation officer told me after that even though she has to follow up on any tips, she will make sure next time it is just her looking with ONE officer standing by for her safety. I said I had nothing to hide and that was the last raid I ever had but it will stay in my memories until I die.
The Excellent thing that came from it is, I went to court a few months later to request early termination. My lawyer brought up the embarrassing and demeaning raid. That along with my stellar compliance while on probation got me off probation 6 years early.
BUT, that is not the end of the story. Sometimes I feel with all the ever changing harsher requirements that I am STILL on probation.
I am 100% I am not alone in that feeling.
Just wow! I am so sorry that you and your husband were treated like this. This is a great example of how ridiculous laws and so called requirements have run amuck.
Thank you for sharing your story and so very articulately I might add! You might also find registrymatters.co to be another resource as well as narsol.org.