The Blog

Eldon Vail , Secretary of Corrections

10/02/08

This month, our law enforcement officers stepped up to the challenge and completed yet another successful Operation Crackdown. The statewide sweep led to the arrest of more than 150 criminals, including 56 sex offenders who had failed to register, as required by law.

Gov. Chris Gregoire set aside funding in her 2008 supplemental budget for the program. It sends a strong message to sex offenders: If you fail to register, you will be arrested. The operations are coordinated by the Department of Corrections, with the U.S. Marshals Service, sheriff's offices and police departments. The first Operation Crackdown, which ended in February, resulted in more than 275 arrests.

Operation Crackdown is working. In fact, fewer counties participated in the most recent operation because many of the offenders who had outstanding warrants had been arrested during the original sweep.

Operation Crackdown also has long-term benefits. The original operation strengthened the teamwork among local, state and federal agencies. These coordinated efforts by law enforcement agencies put a bright focus on sex offenders who fail to register at all, not just during statewide sweeps.

Thanks to the heightened vigilance and efforts during the crackdowns — and on a daily basis — Washington's neighborhoods are safer places for our families.