Quote Originally Posted by C_Smith
....I think you may be missing an opportunity with your sex offenders. Many of them circulate in similar circles to and on the same social levels as your criminal gang elements. They may be a great source of information and their precarious legal status (registration, reporting, residence restrictions) can be exploited to make them good sources of information on criminal gangs. Back when I worked a beat, I used several of the local sex offenders as informal informants. I was always creeped out by talking to them, but their information was typically spot on....
Sex offenders is a broad category - and in such general terms I disagree with the statement that they circulate in similar circles to and on the same social levels as street gang members. Certain specific individuals may do so - but many will not, and live and function in circles very different and isolated from the world of street gang members. As usual, it comes down to a case-by-case assessment of location, access and reliability of the individual informant.
Quote Originally Posted by C_Smith
As for running them out of town, much research has been done on the spatial distribution of sex offenders and restricting their movements/residency requirements. Those programs have been shown to be unsuccessful mostly.
CJB, May 10: Residential Proximity to Schools and Daycares: An Empirical Analysis of Sex Offense Recidivism

Geography & Public Safety, May 09: Residency Restrictions: What’s Geography Got to Do with It?

NIJ, 25 Jul 08: Sex Offender Residency Restrictions: How Mapping Can Inform Policy