State Auditor Nicole Galloway found that Missouri law enforcement officials don’t know the whereabouts of over 1,200 registered sex offenders.
State law requires sex offenders to inform local law enforcement of their home and work addresses. According to the audit, over 1,200 of Missouri’s sex offenders are in violation of this law, but arrest warrants have only been issued for about 10 percent of them.
Missouri recently adopted a law dividing sex offenders into three tiers of offenses. Galloway said nearly 800 of the noncompliant offenders are classified as tier three — the most dangerous.
She said that the number of missing offenders is due to inadequate local enforcement.
“Law enforcement needs to do a better job of holding these sex offenders accountable for complying with the registration program and complying with the law. Currently the sex offender registry is providing a false sense of security,” she said.
According to the report, Boone County has eight sex offenders unaccounted for, while Callaway County has five and Cole County has one.