Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

CALERA – Calera Chief of Police David Hyche and Detective Jacob Reach gave a presentation to the City Council on how the department is updating its methods of tracking sex offenders during a meeting on Monday, April 21.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency keep a public database for residents to use that catalogues the images and addresses of the more than 200 sex offenders in Shelby County. The registry allows residents to manually search for sex offenders near their home address and in surrounding communities. The tracking system was made possible by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

During a recent internal audit of the sex offender notification program for the city, the Calera Police Department discovered ways to improve the program and how its current utilization was falling short in Calera.

“We found offenders that had registered with the sheriff’s department but had not registered with the city of Calera Police Department as required by law,” Hyche said.

The CPD identified offenders that were registered with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office who were living in areas that violated Alabama law. The department also found other sex offenders who listed addresses where they don’t reside—including one offender listing the Calera Walmart as their home address. Other offenders, who live outside the city but work in Calera, were found to not be properly registered.

“After learning of these deficiencies from the audit done by Jacob Reach, we started the process of personally visiting and verifying every sex offender living or working in Calera that we had information on,” Hyche said. “We’ve been working in conjunction with the sheriff’s department to help them get the countywide records up-to-date that have to do with the city of Calera as well.”

As part of SORNA compliance, offenders are required to check-in with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office every three months and on their birth month to update their photograph and home address. Offenders must also notify law enforcement of any changes in employment.

As part of SORNA and the sex offender registry, residents are notified of sex offenders living in their area. Hyche shared that some notifications were not going out and that some offenders had lived in the area of residents for years without them knowing.

“I believe that the protection of the children and the citizens from sexual predators is too important to not do all we possibly can to ensure compliance,” Hyche said. “It’s not our plan or goal to embarrass or harass people. Prior offenders who are complying with the law are not going to be bothered at all.”

As part of the process of ensuring compliance and transparency, the Calera Police Department has established its own community web page for residents to access sex offender information.

“So, instead of having to go through the entire county, we’re going to have our own Calera portal which we will ensure is accurate and up-to-date,” Hyche said.

Residents can access the new webpage, made possible by OffenderWatch, by visiting the Calera Police Department’s website and selecting the portal. From there, residents can search for offenders in their area, the city or find a list of those who are non-compliant.

In other business, Hyche swore in officer David Conley into the Calera Police Department during the City Council meeting. Conley is a recent graduate from the Law Enforcement Academy in Tuscaloosa.

The Calera City Council approved the following items during the council meeting:

• A resolution adopting police policies, including body worn cameras, information technology use, personal appearance standards, uniforms and civilian attire and wellness program
• A resolution for an agreement with the Alabama State Department of Transportation for the installation, operation and maintenance of traffic control signals or roadway lighting

Additionally, the Calera City Council unanimously denied an alcohol license application to Mama Coco Cantina LLC on multiple grounds, including that the entity had not fully paid its taxes owed to the city.

The next regularly scheduled Calera City Council meeting will take place on Monday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. with a work session prior at 5:45 p.m.