Sex Offenders On The Job

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Sex crimes create a lot of fear and receive a lot of attention.  Much has been said about where sex offenders live, but have you ever wondered where they work?

Tulsa has about 400 registered sex offenders right now.  The News On 6 obtained a list of where each and every one of them works.  Some of the jobs might surprise you because they are inside your very home.

Even after sex offenders serve their time, they are treated differently than any other criminal.  In addition to registering their address with police, they can't live in 95% of the city, near schools and daycares.  That even applies to people whose victims weren't children.

People have police measure and start campaigns to get certain neighbors to move.  They do it because they want to protect their children, but the truth is sex offenders are around us on a daily basis.

The list of jobs for Tulsa's registered sex offenders says approximately 30 are cooking and serving our food at restaurants.  Another 25 are driving around making deliveries.  They are washing cars, hauling trash, cleaning offices, cutting hair, taking our temperature and more.

Most interesting, though, is more than 70 of them are actually working inside our homes, as carpet cleaners, painters, cabinet builders, electricians, plumbers and handymen.

Police say it's rare to have a registered sex offender commit a crime because of access gained through their job.  They say a stable environment is a good way to keep them from re-offending and stability often means having a job.

"The ones out there where we don't know where they're at, not telling us where they're working or going to school, those are the ones we're concerned with," said Tulsa Police Sgt. John Adams.

Police actually fear the laws that limit where sex offenders can live have increased the number of people who go underground and don't register.

"Two years ago, we had 550.  Now we have less than 400," said Tulsa Police Sgt. John Adams.  "I don't think 150 have left the city."

If you're worried about sex offenders working in your home, you should ask the company the name of the person they're sending, and then check the police department's sex offender registry.

Some of the careers on the list that really stood out included a minister busted for having obscene photos, an attorney convicted of indecent exposure, and two former teachers.