City oF Houston — Bill White _ Mayor's Office of Public Safely and Homeland Security Mayor Dennis J. Storemski Director P.O. Box 1562 Houston, Texas 77251-1562 1.713.497.6126 F 713.437.8550 wor houstontx gow October 3, 2006 Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Thomas A. Davis P.O. Box 4087 Austin, Texas 78773-0110 Dear Colonel Davis: It has been brought to my attention that the Texas Department of Public Safety interpretation of Statute 62.251 Article F of the Code of Criminal Procedure removes convicted sex offender's from the public Data-base upon deportation. As you might be aware of, a Houston Police Department Officer was allegedly murdered almost two weeks ago by a deported sex offender who obviously returned to Texas. It is my understanding there are roughly 700 sex offenders who fit the above category and remain unaccessible to the public. From my perspective there is no downside in allowing the Public to access deported sex offender's public record that was originally placed on the registry. The public is our best set of “eyes” and could possibly alert federal and or local authorities if they spot an offender who has re-entered the country. Currently, the Sex Offender Registry has several different distinctions of status including “unknown, absconder, TDCJ, out-of-state and homeless”. There is no legitimate reason for not including “deported” under the category of status and for their information to remain on the public registry. Please advise if this issue can be addressed internally or will legislation have to be enacted to change what I consider to be a public safety glitch Thank you for your prompt consideration and if you wish to discuss this request, please call me at 713-247-1410. Sincerely Andy Kahan Mayor's Crime Victim's Director AK/sp