Sex offender leveling

The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has issued a statement on the process of sex offender leveling. The KCSO is responsible for monitoring registered sex offenders and kidnapping offenders who reside within Klickitat County. The statement is written by Sheriff Bob Songer and is as follows:

A sex offender is an individual who has been convicted of a sex crime or kidnapping crime and has been released from prison or a county jail and is currently living in Klickitat County.

The sex offender and kidnap offender must register with the Klickitat County

Sheriff’s Office by providing their name, home address and place of employment, and any other pertinent information. When the sex offender lives in another county and works in Klickitat County, they must also register with our office, per RCW 9A.44.130.

When a sex offender or kidnap offender leaves the Washington State Department of Corrections (Prison) system (D0C) or a County Jail they are assigned a leveling range from 1) Low Threat, 2) Moderate Threat, and 3) High Threat to the community.

The elected sheriff of the County has the responsibil- ity and authority to raise or lower the registered sex offenders’ or kidnap offenders’ level that was assigned to them by Washington Department of Corrections at the time the offender was released from prison or a county Jail and is currently living in Klickitat County.

As your sheriff, I have decided I will be reviewing all current and new sex offenders and kidnap offenders when they register with our office. I will meet with the sex offender or kidnap offender to determine what is the appropriate level for that individual.

A level 1) is considered low risk of reoffending, level 2) is simply not acceptable to myself as a parent and millions of other parents across this state,” said Corry. “We want to have a bill that not only honors parents and respects them, but that also shows the state knows that parents are the primary caregiver, not the state of Washington.”

Among the rights included in the bill:

• The right to direct the education and care.

• The right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training.

• The right to make health is considered low to moderate risk of reoffending, and level 3) is considered a high risk of reoffending in our community.

Levels (2) and (3) sex offenders and kidnap offenders by state law require a photo to be placed on a flyer and dispensed within the neighborhood where the offender lives. This is done for public safety.

After reviewing sex offenders’ or kidnap offenders’ registration if they are listed as a level one, I will seriously consider moving them to a level 2) or level 3) if the conviction involves child molestation, child pornography, or kidnapping, care decisions, unless otherwise prohibited by law.

• The right to access and review all medical reco of a minor child, unless prohibited by law or if the parent is the subject of an investigation of a crime committed against the minor child and a law enforcement agency or official requests that the information not be released.

• The right to consent in writing before a biometric scan of his or her minor child is made, whether their conviction is a recent conviction or an old conviction. shared, or stored.

As your sheriff, I consider our children’s safety to be the highest priority in Klickitat County.

I will be available to discuss or meet with citizens in person who may have questions or concerns about the sex offenders and kidnapping offenders registration process.

My email is bobs@klickitatcounty.org or you can contact me at my office phone at (509) 773-4455 or my cell phone (509) 261-1833.

• The right to consent in writing before any record of his or her minor child’s blood or DNA is created, stored, or shared, except as required by general law or authorized pursuant to a court order.

House Bill 1601 has been referred to the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee but has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

The 105-day 2023 legislative session began Monday, Jan. 9.