The Nevada Attorney General, George Chanos is asking the federal government, once again, to provide a list of Hurricane Katrina victims who have relocated to Nevada in order to determine if any “missing” sex offenders are currently residing our state. This request was made to the regional director of FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), an agency harshly criticized for its poor response to the Katrina catastrophe.
The Nevada Attorney General would like to use this list to cross-check against a list of known sex offenders currently missing from Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. This list of missing sex offenders has already been cross-checked against a list of people who have sought assistance from the state or Clark County.
One refugee from the hurricane, residing in Reno, Nevada, has voluntarily registered as a sex offender, though technically the law requires offenders to register upon moving, changing jobs, or making other changes which affect registration status.
Over the past months, the state of Nevada has tried repeatedly to obtain a list of Katrina evacuees from FEMA. FEMA has repeatedly denied this request claiming protection behind the Freedom of Information Act.
While the federal agency is cowering behind a law, the risk of Nevada or Las Vegas sexual abuse is higher since the sex offenders living in our communities may not be completely accounted for.