Operation Blackout in TN Targeted 3,188 Sex Offenders

Nov 01, 2017 at 04:03 pm by bryan


To enhance the safety of Tennessee children, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has visited the homes of more than 3,188 sex offenders since October 21. Operation Blackout is designed to increase the safety of trick-or-treaters by giving sex offenders under TDOC supervision an additional layer of safety.

To enforce the strict rules for high risk sex offender, more than 500 Probation and Parole Officers made random home visits across Tennessee. The state-wide Operation Blackout Pre-Halloween checks yielded 21 arrests for violations ranging from possession of narcotics to possession of a firearm.

ADVERTISEMENT

"This is just another way that this Department truly enhances public safety," said Commissioner Tony Parker, "As a parent, I breathe a little easier knowing that our officers are doing this additional check to make sure that our smallest stakeholders - our children - can have a safe night."

On Halloween night this year (10/31/17), TDOC Officers attempted to check on 1,207 offenders at their homes. Of those, 1,173 home visits were completed statewide. Of the 34 that were not visited Tuesday night, five will be sanctioned or have warrants issued for non-compliance. The remaining 29 offenders were confirmed to be working or hospitalized. One arrest was made for a violation of the sex offender registry.

In 2016, TDOC probation parole officers conducted more than 3,000 checks on sex offenders during Operation Blackout, resulting in more than 400 violations.

Sections: News