If you live in Galesburg or elsewhere in Knox County, you may have noticed a pink tag hanging on the door handle of a residence.
That’s because this week, Galesburg police and the Knox County Sheriff’s Department are conducting compliance checks for sex offenders and violent offenders in the area. The tag is a contact slip, warning an offender that they need to get in contact with police to confirm their registration is accurate.
Knox County Registered Sex Offender Administrator Becky Benson tells WGIL this is one of the busier weeks of the year for authorities.
“Pretty much all patrol in city and county are involved in this,” Benson says. “And then depending on the case, we could also get investigations involved in this.”
According to police records, there are over 129 sex offenders registered in Knox County — 77 of which reside in Galesburg. There are 14 violent offenders or convicted murderers in the county, 10 of those from Galesburg.
“By law, you have to do verification at least once per year,” Benson says. “If we have any information where they are not living where they say they are, then we go out and check.”
Offenders are required to update their information anytime they have a lifestyle change, ranging from a new address to getting a new tattoo. The first registration violation is at minimum a Class 3 felony.
