City receives $100,000 for sex offender monitoring

The city of Vancouver has received $99,600 in state funding to monitor registered kidnapping or sex offenders until June 30, 2016.

In July, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs awarded $264,000 in state funds to Clark County and its cities to enhance law enforcement monitoring of registered sex offenders, as required by state law. Police must provide face-to-face verification of a registered sex offender’s residence every three to 12 months, based on the level of offense.

The city and county must co-apply each year for funding renewal. The monitoring keeps the state’s registry database and public website current, and it serves as a deterrent for future crimes. Registry violations may result in arrest, prosecution and sentencing for any new offenses.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office maintains the sex offender registry for the public website for all sex offenders in the county.

There are 556 registered sex offenders living in Vancouver city limits. Of those sex offenders, 419 are Level I (at low risk of re-offending in the community at large); 120 are Level II (at moderate risk of re-offending); and 17 are Level III (at high risk of re-offending and considered the most dangerous to the community), according to the Vancouver Police Department.

For more information about sex offenders in Clark County, go to www.clark.wa.gov/sheriff/community/offenders.html.