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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Oregon looks to go back to running own health insurance exchange ... Central Point teacher pleads not guilty to sex abuse ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area to open Sunday ... Oregon looks to go back to running own health insurance exchange ... Central Point teacher pleads not guilty to sex abuse ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area to open Sunday ... Safety Check Keeping track of Medford's sex offenders is a full-time job for compliance officer Keeping track of Medford's sex offenders is a full-time job for compliance officer. Comment By chris conrad MailTribune.com By chris conrad Posted Jul. 6, 2008 at 12:01 AM By chris conrad Posted Jul. 6, 2008 at 12:01 AM 14,759 --> Registered sex offenders in Oregon, along with those who work or attend school in Oregon but reside in another state. 891 The number of those in Jackson County. 432 Sex offenders living... » Read more X 14,759 Registered sex offenders in Oregon, along with those who work or attend school in Oregon but reside in another state. 891 The number of those in Jackson County. 432 Sex offenders living in Medford. 300 Sex offender totals in Josephine, Klamath and Douglas counties are each below 300 Other Counties Multnomah - 2,856 Marion - 1,464 Lane - 1,307 Washington - 1,293 Clackamas - 1,009 » Social News There are 432 sex offenders living in Medford and it's Tom Sweeney's goal to meet every one of them face to face. Sweeney, a Medford police officer, devotes a significant part of his day to dropping in on the city's sex offenders to make sure they are complying with Oregon laws requiring that they register with the state each year. "It's a full-time job," Sweeney said. "We have a policy here saying that we want to keep close tabs on where sex offenders live and what they are doing." One day last month, Sweeney spent part of an afternoon looking for 34-year-old Kevin Lee Gibbel, freshly released from an eight-month jail term for two counts of third-degree rape. He received word Gibbel was staying with a Hispanic family on Prune Street. Sweeney knocked on the door and was greeted by a 3-year-old and her mother. After a few questions, the occupants told Sweeney that Gibbel was asleep in the room he had rented from them the previous day. A quick call to Gibbel's parole officer determined Gibbel was banned from all contact with minors. "He's a bad guy," Sweeney told the family after Gibbel was in handcuffs. "He shouldn't be around your daughter." Gibbel was arrested on a probation violation and returned to the jail he had just left. "It's hard to find somewhere to live," Gibbel said in the back of Sweeney's patrol car. Sweeney has been the department's sex offender go-to-guy for four years. He fits in as many compliance checks as possible between the hodgepodge of radio calls and traffic violators that constitute everyday street patrol. Under Oregon law, sex offenders have 10 days from the time they are released from prison or move to the state to register with the Oregon State Police. In addition, a convicted sex criminal must register 10 days before or after his or her birthday each year. Medford police are among the state's most aggressive departments in monitoring whether sex offenders are fulfilling these requirements. "The compliance checks are a major component of this project," Sweeney said. "We feel this makes the community safer, along with giving the offenders the guidance they need to stay out of jail." Jackson County ranks sixth in the state with 891 sex offenders living within its borders. Multnomah County leads Oregon with 2,856, followed by Marion County with 1,464 and Lane County with 1,307. Josephine County has fewer than 300 registered sex offenders. In all, 14,759 sex offenders are registered in Oregon. But that does not reflect the offenders making a home here who have chosen not to make themselves known to the OSP Sex Offender Registry Unit in Salem. "We are seeing some offenders trickle up here from California," Sweeney said. "They often live in the parks and under bridges because California has a residency law barring them from living near schools, churches, parks and other places where minor congregate." No such law exists in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Corrections decides where a newly released sex offender can and cannot live. Sweeney said he receives several calls a month from people asking the police to arrest a known sex offender living near a park or school. "I have to tell them the truth, which is not what they want to hear," Sweeney said. "If we find that an offender is in violation of his post-prison supervision terms then we can arrest him, but until then there's nothing we can do about where they live." OSP maintains the state's computer database, which lists only criminals considered sexual predators living in Oregon. The state labels an offender a sexual predator on a case-by-case basis. The predator tag often applies to criminals who have multiple victims or who used a weapon while committing crimes such as rape and sexual abuse. Twenty-three sexual predators live in Medford, according to Vi Beaty, OSP's sex offender registry manager. Beaty praised the Medford police for the time it spends monitoring sex offenders. "They are one of the most proactive agencies in the state," Beaty said. "They have created a system that internally tracks their own offenders. They know specifically who is in compliance and who is not." Sweeney's job load increased last year when Jackson County Community Justice officials stopped monitoring misdemeanor sex offenders, such as adults who engage in consensual sex with minors under 18, commonly referred to as statutory rape in other states. "We have decided to track them at the police level," Sweeney said. "It's just an extra layer of protection for the community." Some offenders can petition through circuit court to be dropped from the registry after 10 years. Usually, in order to be dropped from the list, the offender can have only one conviction and it cannot be a serious felony such as first-degree rape or first-degree sexual abuse. But it is ultimately up to the court to decide whether the offender's name can be removed, Beaty said. "It doesn't happen often that an offender is relieved of the registry," Beaty said. However, the Legislature passed a law January 1 stating that those convicted of having consensual sex with a minor can seek relief from the registry. The law works retroactively, so those convicted of third-degree sexual abuse several years ago can petition the court for relief. "We are seeing a steady number of those people being allowed to stop registering with us," Beaty said. In the meantime, Sweeney continues to check his list of local sex offenders who have birthdays in a given month. He intends to turn over the program to another officer at some point, but for now he enjoys the work. "I now have sex offenders who call me with questions that could help them stay out of jail," Sweeney said. "I don't mind being a resource for them as well as the guy who arrests them." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471; or e-mail [email protected]. By chris conrad MailTribune.com By chris conrad Posted Jul. 6, 2008 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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