Operation Disconnect

The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, in conjunction with the United States Marshal Service and Florida Department of Corrections Probation & Parole Services, is conducting Operation Disconnect.

The operation, which began last week, targets registered sexual offenders and predators that have online accounts they have not reported to the sheriff’s office as required. Many sexual offenders have conditions about their internet use. Some of those on probation are banned from having any internet access at all, while all must notify the sheriff’s office of any internet identifiers. Each failure to report is a felony offense.

The operation also picked up some subjects with active warrants in Special Victims Unit cases.

So far, there have been 26 people arrested, with the total number of charges in the hundreds.

The Special Victims Unit closely monitors the sexual offenders and predators living in our county, and the success of Operation Disconnect is the result of that diligence.

The operation is not over, so any sexual offenders or predators who think they may have some things on their registrations they need to clear up should come see us before we come find you
Under Florida law, sexual offenders and sexual predators are required to register, and this includes juveniles (found guilty of certain sex offenses) who have been adjudicated “delinquent.” These individuals are required to report in person to the Sheriff’s Office in the county where they live to register.

A sex offender must constantly report and register his/her home address, any temporary residential addresses, scars, marks and tattoos, phone number(s), email address(es), internet identifier(s), employment, unemployment vehicles, and any institute of higher education within 48 hours. They must also register their travel itinerary 48 hours prior to leaving the state or country. A transient offender must report and be monitored every 30 days.

Depending on the nature of a crime for which an offender/predator has been convicted or found delinquent, they will need to re-register two or four times every year unless or until the requirement to register is lifted or expires.

What this means is that at least once every six months, a person will need to appear in person at the Sheriff’s Office and confirm or update certain information.

This information can include home addresses, vehicles that a person drives, changes to physical appearance, Internet identifiers, as well as employment or school information. While this is also some of the information that is already provided when a person initially registers as a sex offender, Florida laws require that this information is kept current through regular re-registration.

Not only does SVU conduct undercover online investigations where detectives pose as our youth to see if an offender/predator will communicate and maybe meet with the youth, we also ensure those offenders/predators that reside in our county are held accountable and their restrictions are constantly reviewed and enforced. The SVU not only ensures the addresses and vehicles are updated as required by Florida Statute, we go above and beyond here in Highlands County. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office checks all sexual offender’s residences at the minimum of once every 90 days and all of the sexual predator’s residences a minimum of once every 30 days.

We also monitor these requirements more often if information has been received indicating an offender is not within compliance. Please continue to report any concerns to us through Crime Stopper tips, email to detectives@highlandssheriff.org, or by telephone (863)402-7357.

Видео Operation Disconnect канала Highlands County Sheriff's Office