Some Ohio counties persist with in-person registration despite health crisis
By Paige Pfleger . . . Even as most Ohioans are encouraged to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, people convicted of sexual offenses are still required to register in person. Some Ohio counties and even nearby states have waived that in-person requirement, but most, including Franklin County, have not.
“So we are crossing over to the records department here in Franklin County where they make everyone start their registration journey,” says Zach Ruppel.
Ruppel is familiar with this journey: He often walks people through the sex offender registration process for their first time. He goes through it himself every six months.
In Franklin County, it’s a two part process: registrants check in with the records department, then cross the street to check in with a deputy from the Sheriff’s Office by calling a posted phone number. It needs to be done in person, and the pandemic has not changed that.
Ruppel says that’s a problem. He says people in the office don’t stay six feet apart, and many people have no choice but to take public transit to register, which further puts their health at risk. . . .
Franklin County has about 1,700 sex offenders according to the sheriff’s office. About 50- 70 people come through the office every day it’s open to update their registration.
Deputy Charles Williamson says staff are using PPE, the office is being disinfected, and they are encouraging social distancing. He says they have not considered changing the registration process because of the pandemic.
“This is not a choice of the sheriffs office,” Williamson says. “This is all statutory. We’re required to do registration in accordance with the law.”
But other county sheriffs in Ohio have changed the process, despite falling under the same law.
Read the full piece here at WOSU public media.
