The Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) team was created in 2005 to locate sex offenders certified as out of compliance with the State’s Sex Offender Registry and work with Sex Offender Specialists at the Department of Corrections (DOC) and with law enforcement agencies to bring them into compliance.
In 2009, the SAFE unit’s role was expanded, and the unit began working on locating current addresses for individuals required by law to submit a DNA sample but for whom no sample was on record with the State’s DNA Databank. The mission defined for SAFE included locating individuals to bring them into compliance with their responsibilities, and to work with law enforcement and prosecutors to compel compliance for those not willing to voluntarily comply with their statutorily defined requirements.