Nevada has asked the federal government to release information on Hurricane Katrina victims now living in the state in an effort to use this information to cross reference a list of "missing" sex offenders from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, believed to be among Katrina's evacuees.
Chanos has asked Karen Armes, regional Federal Emergency Management Administration director, to release a list of names of the evacuees, their date of birth, current Nevada residence and past known residence in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama.
The request was made Monday by Attorney General George Chanos.
"Nevada is proud to be helping out the victims of the terrible Hurricane Katrina disaster, however, we do ask that they obey our laws while they are staying with us," Chanos said. "That includes registering as a sex offender, if they were convicted and registered in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama."
The state cross-checked a list of evacuees who have applied for state and/or county assistance in Clark County and found no registered sex offenders. In Washoe County, the Reno Police Department is aware of one Gulf state sex offender who came to Reno in September and voluntarily registered.
In a letter to Armes, Chanos writes: "In order to ensure that we have conducted the most diligent search possible for sex offenders in Nevada, it is essential that we also have access to a list of evacuees living in Nevada who have applied for federal disaster assistance or who are otherwise known by federal authorities to be living in Nevada."
State officials have made several attempts to obtain the list of Katrina evacuees in Nevada from FEMA. The agency has denied requests, claiming protection under the Freedom of Information Act.