287 sex offenders came to Houston after Katrina

Houston Chronicle ^ | Nov. 16, 2005 | MÓNICA GUZMÁN

[ncountylee]

Some 287 known sex offenders from Louisiana have moved to the Houston area since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast almost three months ago, according to federal estimates, but local police don't know where they are.

"It's a concern for all of us who need to know and want to know who's living next door," Police Chief Harold Hurtt said today.

A Houston Police Department spokesman said the department had the list of offenders compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But Wednesday night, another HPD spokesman said the department had yet to receive the list. Officers will contact Louisiana authorities for information about the offenders, but Katrina wiped out many of the state's records, particularly in New Orleans, Hurtt said.

And even when the records exist, they won't necessarily help in tracking the offenders here.

"It is the responsiblity of the sex offender to register, and each time they move to re-register, and if they don't do that, it's pretty hard for us to track people," Hurtt said. "It's going to be a long process."

Hurtt said he had no information on whether any sex offenders from Louisiana had committed crimes in Houston since Katrina.

"We have tried to treat people that came here with a great deal of dignity and respect, but if they're going to be violating the law here, we're going to be very aggressively prosecuting them and locking them up," Hurtt said.

[teenyelliott]

It is the responsiblity of the sex offender to register

That is such a brilliant plan. Obviously sex offenders are fine, upstanding, honest people.

Kill them.

Why do the rest of us, especially children, have to worry about whether or not sex offenders want to hurt someone else? Makes me livid.

[TheForceOfOne]

Paging Mr. John Langley (Creator and Executive Producer of COPS)

You have a call on line one regarding the move of operations to Houston.

[AbeKrieger]

but if they're going to be violating the law here

if Texas law requires them to register and they HAVE NOT they should, must, and WILL be prosecuted. Animals belong in pens or on leashes. At the very least, registered.

[b9]

While visiting Houston weekend before last, this was the only story on the news about the refugees.

I was expecting hopeful stories, but there weren't any.

[middie]

The Orlando PD says we have been blessed with more than a 160 in Central Fla. in an escape from the Gulf Coast........

[WasDougsLamb]

A Houston Police Department spokesman said the department had the list of offenders compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But Wednesday night, another HPD spokesman said the department had yet to receive the list. Officers will contact Louisiana authorities for information about the offenders, but Katrina wiped out many of the state's records, particularly in New Orleans, Hurtt said.

----One would think the records in this day and age would be on hardrives accessible from any computer, anywhere even if the computers in NOLA were destroyed.