Perhaps it would just be easier to put all criminal history files on the internet.....
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...F6DCB0AAAB967BD586257147004FE974?OpenDocument
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...F6DCB0AAAB967BD586257147004FE974?OpenDocument
Governor gets meth registry bill
By Leah Thorsen
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/05/2006
Those convicted of cooking methamphetamine in Illinois soon will face a penalty dealt to sex offenders - being listed on an Internet registry.
A bill to create the Methamphetamine Manufacturer Registry passed the House unanimously on Monday after being passed in the Senate in February, also without a dissenting vote.
The governor plans to sign the bill into law, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Such a registry would be among the first in the nation. Tennessee was the first to post an online meth database, and Oklahoma is considering one, according to published reports.
Tennessee's registry was launched in mid-December and lists the names of those convicted of meth-manufacturing crimes after March 30, 2005, said Jennifer Johnson, a spokeswoman for the state's Bureau of Investigation.
People can search by the county of the offense or by the offender's last name and first initial.
The proposed Illinois registry would be limited to those convicted of manufacturing meth, and would not include those convicted of only possessing the drug, said Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, one of the bill's sponsors.
Information including the offender's name, date of birth, crime and county where the crime was committed would be listed on the Web site. The legislation does not indicate whether photos would be posted.
Under the legislation, circuit clerks would be required to forward information about meth-manufacturing convictions to the Illinois State Police, who would be charged with maintaining the registry.
Larry Trent, director of the State Police, said Tuesday that staffing issues may make it difficult to maintain the registry but that he had not thoroughly examined whether that could be a problem.
Privacy issues also could arise, as they have with registries listing personal information about sex offenders.
Said Eddy: "I would much rather err on the side of public safety."
Eddy said the risk posed by meth is widespread and that people should know if meth cooks are living near them.
"We have sex offender registries to warn parents of the potential danger," he said. "This is just as dangerous."
The registry also could include addresses of where meth labs have been found to help people deciding where to rent a place to live, he said.
In the Metro East area, roughly half of all the meth labs busted by the Methamphetamine Response Team are rental properties, said Sgt. Joe Beliveau of the team.
Since being formed in May, the team of Illinois State Police officers devoted solely to investigating meth-related crimes has responded to roughly 180 labs and has made about 200 arrests in a 10-county area.
Beliveau said meth cooks can damage property and put their neighbors at risk.
Last week near Columbia, meth cooks started a fire in the kitchen of a rental home while trying to destroy evidence, he said.
"They're not thinking rationally and they're not concerned with the kids living next door," Beliveau said.
He said a registry of convicted meth cooks would be useful because so many are repeat offenders.
[email protected] 618-659-3640
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