Full Notification

On March 11th - 13th , 2014, a multi-agency operation was held in Sebastian and Crawford Counties. Spring break is just around the corner. Local school children will be enjoying their break by riding bicycles or playing at the park with friends. Law enforcement in the area want to make sure no matter what activities you have planned, they are doing everything they can to make sure you are safe. The operation was called SAFE BREAK, and it was targeted at checking compliance with all sex offenders living in the River Valley.

The operation confirmed compliance with 452 offenders. There were four (4) arrests made during the operation which involved non-compliance with offenders and their registration. Officers will also be seeking warrants on another 10 offenders not arrested during the operation but appear to be in non-compliance with their registry.

In Sebastian and Crawford Counties, there are approximately 466 registered sex offenders. If a sex offender moves across town, or to another city, they are required to notify local law enforcement of the change of address. However, it is the responsibility of the law enforcement agency to verify that the sex offender is in fact, living and residing at the address they say. Operations like SAFE BREAK allow for law enforcement agencies to physically go to the registered address and see for themselves. Local law enforcement in the River Valley take the duties of the sex offender registry to the highest regard for public safety. All sheriffs and police agencies in the area have one or two officers that are fully committed and designated as the sex offender coordinator. “We have put our sex offender duties as a priority and people are encouraged to check our website, which shows where sex offenders live in our area.” Says Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck. Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spend time. Sheriff Hollenbeck says “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives.”

By visiting your local law enforcement website you will also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for FREE automatic email and text notifications informing you if an offender moves within your area. “Not only will you receive alerts for sex offenders, but also notifications for other crimes in your area. Such as burglaries or vandalism. You can sign up for emails or text messages. ” says Detective Jonathan Wear with the Van Buren Police Department. The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail or text as soon as a new offender has registered in your area. Det. Wear says, “The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail and text alert service is that it allows US to keep you up to date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly”. In the City of Van Buren, you can simply text “VANBURENPD” to 888-777 and you will automatically be put on the alert service for that area. Crawford County Sheriff and the Fort Smith Police Department both have similar databases to check for offenders in your area.

Depending on where you live, will depend on who monitors sex offenders in your area. If you live in a rural area, outside the city limits, more than likely your local sheriff’s department is where you should look. If you reside within the city limits, check with the closest police department. Citizens can check the law enforcement website and click on the link “locate registered sex offenders” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive FREE e-mail alerts or text messages.

Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown encourages everyone to have a fun and safe spring break. “Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable spring break activities.”

For further information, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Participating agencies:

U. S. Marshals Service
Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office
Fort Smith Police Department
Barling Police Department
Arkansas Department of Community Correction
U. S. Probation Office
Homeland Security Investigations
Arkansas State Police
Alma Police Department
Greenwood Police Department
Van Buren Police Department
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office