Hillsborough deputies arrest 30 sex offenders during 'Operation Scarecrow'

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested 30 registered sex offenders in October as part of "Operation Scarecrow," an effort to ensure compliance with registration and probation requirements ahead of Halloween.Hillsborough sex offender arrestsDetectives conducted compliance checks on 1,202 registered sex offenders living in unincorporated Hillsborough County during the operation, according to the sheriff's office.During the final week before Halloween, the agency partnered with the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to verify that offenders lived at their registered addresses and followed the conditions of their registration, supervision and probation.Sheriff Chad Chronister also went door to door with detectives, including visits to offenders convicted of sexual battery on a child younger than 12."There is nothing more important than safeguarding children in our community," Chronister said. "Our efforts ensured these offenders were