There are 1,168 names on the sex offender registry who list Colorado Springs as their home and as that population grows, so does the challenge of tracking it.

Those on the registry must re-register quarterly or annually, depending on the type of crime they were convicted of, some are homeless and at times, some don’t stay at the addresses they’ve listed. The local registry’s growth has paralleled that of the state’s, which had 10,096 names in 2008 and has 15,319 now.

Sgt. Bill Dehart with the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children says studies show the registry makes an impact.

“When they’re complying with the registration laws they’re less likely to re-offend,” Dehart said.

Some sex offenders have trouble finding work and some can’t live with their families because of the nature of their crimes. Thus, it’s not unusual for a sex offender to list “Bijou Street bridge” as a place of residence.

What does CSPD do about that? The best it can.

On Monday CSPD arrested Eugene Romero and Bobby Caddell. The difference between the two is that Romero had already been convicted of a sex-related charge and had been classified as a sexually violent predator, the most serious classification. Romero was arrested for an alleged parole violation.

Caddell, 72, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. Caddell is innocent until proven guilty and his name was not on the sex offender registry (www.gazettedev.gazette.com

sections/infocenter/sexoffender/.

Former CSPD officer Josh Carrier was convicted in April of 21 child porn counts and will be re-tried on charges he molested boys while volunteering for Colorado Springs School District 11. Of course, Carrier’s name was never on a registry, either

Some critics say less serious offenders should not be placed on the registry in the first place. True?

“That’s really not fair for me to speculate,” Dehart said. “We’re tasked with carrying out what the people and the legislature want us to do.”

What is less subjective is that as the sex offender registry grows, our ability to keep track of all the names hasn’t. Dehart’s unit has one less officer than it had a few years ago — something he referred to as “a fact of life.”

Regardless of police staffing, Dehart said, “It’s up to all of us to take care of our neighborhoods.” As citizens, he said, “we’re going to see more because there are more of us.”

If the sex offender registry becomes too cumbersome, we might have to consider changing how names are added. But it’s good to remember that the most dangerous offenders are those beneath the registry’s radar.

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Listen to Barry Noreen on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM at 6:35 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter and Facebook or call him at 719-636-0363.