Mass. Forced To Remove Names From Sex Offender Database

BOSTON (CBS) - They are the faces of predators, with lists of their charges on public view in most police stations, and anyone can use the state's registry to search for sex offenders in their community. But many of those names are now being removed from the internet database due to a Supreme Judicial Court decision that will grant many of these offenders new hearings about their classification.

"We've had hundreds come off already," said Kevin Hayden, chairman of the Sex Offender Registry Board. "It's almost impossible to gauge how many are coming off a day."

The high court says it's considering the consequences when offenders are classified and has ordered a higher standard to determine if an offender is level one, two or three. The board had a burden to prove a sex offender's classification level by a "preponderance of the evidence." The legal standard must now be "clear and convincing" evidence. Until the process is complete, the system is wiped of their name.

"I feel like they're protecting the rights of the offender and leaving the public more vulnerable," said Deputy Chief Chris MacKenzie of the Walpole Police Department. Just last week in Walpole a level 3 sex offender moved into a neighborhood. Police distributed fliers and information to nearby residents, something they wouldn't be able to do if the offender was declassified.

One neighbor who did not want to be identified said, "If they have a record of consistent activity, there's probably no help, and they're putting them out there to do it again without people knowing about it."

The rush to reclassify old cases and consider new ones has now created a backlog, and the state board says it could take as long as two years to sort it out and get some of the names published again.

"It creates more of an environment for them to be a predator," said MacKenzie. The board says that is why it will move as quickly as possible so neighborhoods can stay informed.