As a legislative panel approves of an audit of a state program for putting sex offenders back into communities, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) hopes the review will “identify where the weak spots are.”
Barca emphasizes better communication must take place between the state agencies who oversee the offenders, as well as local law enforcement.
The Department of Corrections, Department of Health Services, and Department of Justice are tasked to deal with these cases which often involve offenders living in residential areas.
Action was prompted in part by a case in Barca’s district in which an offender was almost placed within a few blocks of one of his victims. That close call also led to a Racine ordinance scheduled for a public hearing April 8.
Janet Hoff-WRJN
