Cook County arrests dozens of sex offenders in 2 week roundup

A federal task force arrested dozens of sex offenders in the Chicago region following a two-week roundup project.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office partnered with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force and the Cook County Probation Department to target both compliant and noncompliant sex offenders, including fugitives.

"We want to let the sex offenders know that as long as they play by the rules, they will be fine with us," Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said Friday.

The first phase of the roundup took place during the week of June 13 and targeted the 79 registered sex offenders in unincorporated Cook County to ensure they were adhering to all terms of probation, including computer access and proximity to children.

The second phase of the operation took place during the week of June 20 and involved tracking down 80 noncompliant sex offenders living in Cook County, including some who had warrants out for their arrest, according to a police statement. Of those 80, police located and arrested ten of 17 different warrants. About 20 people were recently deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nine people were arrested for noncompliance with the sex offender registry and failing to register as a sex offender at their residence.

With summer vacation here, the sheriff's office said it recognizes the importance of cracking down on sex offenders to help ensure the public safety.