INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies will be patrolling Indianapolis parks over spring break.
That is because they want to make sure sex and violent offenders stay out.
According to Sheriff Kerry Forestal, there are about 1,800 registered sex offenders in Marion County.
This is the first year the department is organizing a sting aimed specifically at patrolling parks over spring break. The primary focus is on sex offenders, but deputies are on the lookout for all types of crimes.
"Kids should be able to come to the park and feel safe,” said Forestal. “Some parents may be at work, some will be with their kids. Either way, they should feel safe with their kids in the park."
Roughly a dozen sheriff’s deputies will focus specifically on patrolling the parks.
Some will be undercover others will be in a marked patrol cars trying to deter predators from being there.
"Initially, we make contact with vehicles that are parked,” said Sgt. Ralph Bellamy. “We run plates to make sure we don't have a sex offender in the park."
He is no stranger to patrolling the streets looking for sex and violent offenders. Bellamy works with a special investigations unit focused on offender registration and compliance.
He said parks are a common place where sex offenders may be. He and other deputies pay close attention to adults who may be in the park alone watching children - and parents should do the same.
"All strangers, especially someone trying to make contact with children, are overly interested in children or even you for that matter,” he said. “Just being proactive and watching your environment."
Over the next two weeks deputies will rotate to different parks in the city and townships and they encourage anybody who notices suspicious behavior to report it.
There are resources for people who want to know if they live nearby a registered sex offender.