School's screening system tags visitor as sex offender
He was convicted in Colorado on a sex charge.
By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published February 3, 2007
LECANTO - Citrus schools began screening visitors this week using an online system that scans driver's licenses and instantly checks if a visitor is a sex offender.
School officials must still work out a few bugs and settle some questions about guidelines and procedures.
But one thing is clear: The program works.
Authorities on Thursday arrested a 46-year-old man from Beverly Hills who was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Colorado and had failed to register as a sex offender after moving to Florida.
Daniel Hahn tried to enter Lecanto Middle School early Thursday but was stopped when the front office clerk scanned his driver's license using the new software and learned that the man was a convicted sex offender, authorities said.
Hahn told authorities he was coming to the school to meet with a guidance counselor. He had arrived with a male companion who has a child at the school.
Deputy Craig Fass, who works as a school resource officer in the Lecanto school complex, told the man he was no longer allowed to come on any school campus, sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney said.
What Fass didn't know at the time was that Hahn had reneged on his promise to authorities in Colorado to register as a sex offender if he left the state.
Raptor Technologies, the software maker, later told Citrus school officials that Hahn had absconded from Colorado, prompting a further investigation by the Sheriff's Office.
Detectives called Colorado authorities and learned that Fass was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in Denver, Tierney said.
Superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel said she hoped the results of the new program would silence skeptics who have called with questions and complaints about the program.
"This was a good test of the system's capabilities and everything definitely worked," Himmel said.
The new software system, available at all 22 schools, works like this:
When a visitor enters the school, his or her driver's license is swiped through an optical scanner plugged into a computer linked to the Internet. The scanner uses the name, date of birth and license number on the front of the card to search more than 45 states' sex offender registries.
The results of that search are shown on the computer screen.
If the visitor clears the check, the software will generate a name tag featuring the person's name, the date and the time of the visit. The visitor's picture and destination also are on the adhesive tag.
If someone is not approved, the system will quietly alert the school's resource officer to the front office to escort the individual outside or if necessary make an arrest.
The system also can be programmed to check for other information, including restraining orders and custody injunctions.
The tougher screening measures were spurred by the discovery that the man accused of killing Homosassa Elementary third-grader Jessica Lunsford was a registered sex offender who had done construction work at her school.
One of the requirements was for visitors, including parents, to show a valid ID at the front desk.
But soon parents complain that the screenings rob them of time with their children.
School officials say the new system is more reliable because schools will now have access to the sex offender registries of more than 45 states.
Citrus is the last school district in west-central Florida to use the Raptor system. Schools in Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pinellas and other Florida counties have been using the system for some time.
The software costs about $1,800 per school and requires a computer at each site. Each school pays a $432 annual fee.
Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 860-7305.