SULLIVAN — For more than a year, Sean Quinlan of Albany has been on a mission to prevent current and future victims of sexual violence.

“My main goal is to get some of these guys living illegally near a school or a daycare—I am not looking for them to be arrested even though they should be—but if I can get them to move away, that's good too,” said Quinlan.

Quinlan recently made headlines in Albany after notifying police about sex offenders who were violating their parole.

Quinlan, along with the Jonathan Carey Foundation, notified the police with a list of offenders who were in violation.

A few weeks after, a person on that sex offender list tried to kidnap a 16-year-old teen.

Luckily the teen was able to get away.

Quinlan, along with the foundation, asked why the incident had to happen and why wasn't it prevented?

In an interview with CBS News in Albany in 2018, Quinlan stated he gave the information not only to the police but also to the Albany Mayor weeks before the incident happened.

“There is so much involved with this, so much bunny hopping. They never want to give you the actual truth,” Quinlan told the Democrat. “One law enforcement person will say this, and the other would say another thing.”

When Quinlan began looking into sex offenders who were living near a school in Albany, Quinlan was surprised at how many violations he was able to find.

With those findings, Quinlan started to look into all 62 counties in New York State.

“I literally have found hundreds of level two and level three sex offenders living less than 1,000 feet from a school or daycare,” said Quinlan when he researched all of New York State.

Discrepancies

Quinlan kept finding inconsistencies with addresses, dates of birth, and whether or not the people were on active parole.

Quinlan reached out to the Democrat about his findings and said that in Sullivan County, he's looking over 22 level two and level three offenders.

Quinlan said that in Sullivan County he found some information on the registry that he felt was wrong.

One serious violation Quinlan found was a person living in Liberty that was less than 1,000 feet away from an elementary school.

The Sex Offender Registration Act limits those under parole supervision from living within 1,000 feet of a school or other facility caring for children.

The person is a level two sex offender, which means he had contact with a minor that was under 11 years old and is under the jurisdiction of Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.

However, Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty said the person's information on the registry is wrong and lists an incorrect home address.

The address that was provided to the registry was off by one letter. Chaboty confirmed with the Democrat that the person does live in Sullivan County but nowhere near a school.

The Democrat reached out to the registry to confirm this information. After a short investigation by the registry, it was confirmed the address on the site was wrong.

New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Director of Public Information Janine Kava said after speaking with the Democrat, they had notified law enforcement and the offender that the information needed to be updated.

Another individual whose information was missing from the registry and is a level three sex offender was missing a photograph and additional information.

The site said the person lived on the north side of the county and falls under the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction according to the registry.

According to Chaboty, the information again listed is wrong on the site, and the person no longer lives in New York State.

Again the Democrat reached out to the registry, and they confirmed that the person no lover lived in New York State and has moved to Massachusetts.

Kava said the registry has since reached out to Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry to have the information updated.

“If an offender leaves the state, we do not remove them from the registry,” said Kava.

According to DCJS, 41,949 sex offenders are living in New York State, and 222 of them live in Sullivan County as of press time.

Kava said, “I think a lot of times people have a misconception that registration equals supervision.”

The language of the law states it is up to the offender to provide the information to the state before they are released from prison, Kava said.

The DCJS relies on law enforcement and the public to make them aware of inaccurate information on the registry.

Levels

Level one sex offenders must register for 20 years but are not listed on the online registry and must report to law enforcement to have their picture taken every three years. They also must list where they live and work.

With level one offenders, since the information is not available online by law, citizens looking for information can call 1-800-262-3257, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

According to Kava, the caller must have information about the offender, like name and date of birth.

The information that will be given is not as detailed as the online registry, and no full address is given, only a zip code.

Level two offenders are listed online at the registry's website. They include full address, work employment, and any identifying marks on the person's body.

Level three offenders, which are high-risk offenders, must have their picture taken every year.

If the person has a sexual predator designation, they have to, in person, verify their address with law enforcement every 90 days.

Moreover, if an offender does not meet these obligations, it is considered a felony-level crime.

Furthermore, if an offender moves from another state to New York, they have 10 days to notify local law enforcement.

Additionally, the registry sends out an annual verification form to the offenders, and if the offender does not respond within 10 days or if the mail gets returned to the registry, they will notify local law enforcement to investigate.

“The registry serves [as] an administrative function. They're not a law enforcement agency,” said Kava. “Anytime that the registry receives notice that the information on the registry is incorrect, we will reach out to law enforcement, make referrals, [and] ask them if they can confirm. It's always an ongoing working relationship with the agencies [and] we want that information to be as up to date as possible.”

Furthermore, the registry does verify the address of the offender with the United States Post Office.

Kava said for the first 11 months of 2019, the staff at the registry process 26,980 annual address verifications and made 39,996 changes to the registry.

“We have to rely on local law enforcement and probation. If a citizen provides information, we can [then] share that with authorities,” said Kava.

Local Law Enforcement

Liberty P.D.

Recently, the Village of Liberty Police Department conducted a sex offender compliance operation. According to Liberty P.D., the operation consisted of multiple investigations into those living within the Village of Liberty and are on the sex offender list.

Liberty P.D. looked into 28 individuals who were suspected of violating the New York State Sex Offender Registration Act or conditions of parole or probation.

Along with members of the New York State Division of Corrections and Community Supervision, the operation conducted home visits and searches to determine if they had violated any of the conditions of their parole.

Out of the 28 who were investigated, nine of them were arrested for violations ranging from marijuana possession, tampering with evidence and motor vehicle infractions.

Fallsburg P.D.

Officer John Chevalier said that Fallsburg also does spot checks for their offenders living within their jurisdiction.

Furthermore, they are in regular contact with other local law enforcement if offenders move in or out of the borders of Fallsburg.

Monticello P.D.

Monticello Police Chief Robert Mir said they have a Sergeant who is assigned to sex offenders within their jurisdiction.

While they might not do spot checks, the Sergeant is in regular contact with those offenders.

If they find a violation, Mir said, “they will address it accordingly.”

Mir also said they are in regular contact with other local law enforcement agencies for when offenders move in or move out of the Village of Monticello.

Sheriff's Office

According to Undersheriff Eric Chaboty, the office has a deputy assigned to a sex offender management.

“They go out regularly and check on these offenders,” said Chaboty. “We're working with parole and probation for those sex offenders [and] making sure that they comply with the terms.”

Chaboty said they are also in regular contact with other local law enforcement agencies.

District Attorney

Acting Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan said, “My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to monitor the whereabouts and registration compliance of sex offenders in Sullivan County. I am proud that all of our local police agencies, overseen by our Sheriff and our Chiefs in Liberty, Fallsburg and Monticello, as well as our Probation Department, have members who are specifically trained in sex offender registration enforcement and who are pro-active in monitoring compliance with the requirements of the Corrections Law and working with members of the community who report concerns. My office routinely confers with each of those agencies to ensure that those who fail to comply with the law governing sex offender registration are held accountable and responsible for that conduct. The safety of those of us who live, work, and raise families in this county is paramount to me, and effective sex offender management will remain a priority in my office.”

Contact Registry

For citizens who are concerned or have information on a sex offender can contact:

NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

Sex Offender Registry

Alfred E. Smith Building

80 South Swan St.

Albany, New York 12210

Telephone: 518-417-3384

E-mail: SORRequests@dcjs.ny.gov