At least 30 registered sex offenders live in WI nursing homes, public records show

(This story is a good example of the press using public records, including residential address, to inform the public of a public safety issue).

By Derrick Rose - Anchor/Investigative Reporter, WISN-ABC Affiliate, February 22, 2024

Wisconsin law does not require nursing home management to notify staff or residents a sex offender resides in the facility, leaving it up to individual families to proactively seek the information.

2 News Investigates cross-referenced a list of licensed nursing home facilities in Wisconsin with the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website. The results showed there are 30 sex offenders living at 25 nursing homes across the state. Nineteen are living at facilities in southeast Wisconsin.

The only guarantee any facility is the right facility for a family would have to come from that family's own research efforts.

"It's all about doing your due diligence, but also having the confidence, you know, in your heart, you've done everything that you possibly can to select the right environment for your mom or your dad or whomever," said Wisconsin Healthcare Association CEO, Rick Abrams.