DeKalb, Illinois Has 32 Registered Sex Offenders

The Illinois State Police report that DeKalb, Illinois has 32 registered sex offenders living in town or adjacent to town.

In comparison to other Northern Illinois communities this is a high number. For example, Downers Grove has 12 offenders. Woodridge has 11. Naperville records 20 and Westmont counts 19. These are communites closer to Chicago, with higher populations, if the student population of DeKalb is not counted. Smaller, more rural towns closer to DeKalb have few registered offenders. Malta lists 2, Creston 2, and Genoa 7. Rochelle, which is directly west of DeKalb, has 17 offenders.

Rockford, which has a substantially larger population than DeKalb, records 498. And Aurora has 187.

Geneva, Illinois, which is about 30 minutes directly east of DeKalb, has 28 offenders, closer to DeKalb's total than most communities; however, many of those offenders reside in the Kane County Jail, or are listed as residents of the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Just why DeKalb has more than its share is unclear.

The State Police update this information frequently, giving the addresses, photographs, and convictions of the perpetrators, along with the date of the offence and the age of the victim. The emphasis is on offenders who assaulted children. In DeKalb, two of the offenders are women; the rest are men. The State Police also make available a map, showing the locations of the offenders, and whether or not they are compliant with the law. This means that the offender is required to register with the local police. Those who are not compliant are listed as Location Unknown.