SPOKANE, Wash. - Dozens of sex offenders are homeless in Spokane and they are roaming the streets, making it more difficult for police to keep tabs on them.
For years now, the public has had the tools to track Spokane's sex offenders, especially if anyone wants to see if any live in their neighborhood.
However, sometimes tracking them is impossible because dozens of sex offenders are homeless.
"Awful things happen all the time and when they do, they're heartbreaking," said Jamie Gwinn, a parent concerned about sex offenders living in the area.
For nearly two decades now, it has been mandatory for a sex offender to report their location to authorities, giving parents like Gwinn comfort in keeping tabs on potential danger.
However, beyond the faces and the felony charges, some of the sex offenders are falling through the cracks. Some sex offenders are classified as transient, meaning they do not have a home and they are not able to be tracked.
By law, they must still check in weekly with authorities, but parents in the Spokane area still do not like the unknown.
"You're always going to worry, whether it's a boo boo or a bad person, there is a worry factor there," Gwinn explained.
KREM 2 pulled the numbers and discovered there are currently 76 transient sex offenders in Spokane County.
Of that total, only 12 are non-compliant either because they have failed to check-in with authorities or because they have deliberately run away from police.
To keep people and families safe, deputies said they often stake out known hot-spots where transient sex offenders are known to gather. Deputies said they have also had success at developing sources who will tell police where those sex offenders live.
In the last few years, the number of non-compliant sex offenders has gone down in Spokane County as authorities have beefed up their patrols, according to deputies.
However, parents like Gwinn are not waiting for that to happen because vigilance is the most important safe guard of all.
"You're there with a family and there's no family there with this person, just kind of have a heads up," Gwinn said.
Sex offenders have three days to update authorities on any address changes before they are deemed non-compliant.
To view all of Spokane's sex offenders log on to the Spokane County Sheriff's website.
