Montgomery County has 17 registered arsonists as of July 16, according to the sheriff’s office.
With the registry being so new, most local and state agencies haven’t had an opportunity to use it in their investigations. It was created as a tool for fire investigators because research shows many arsonists are repeat offenders.
Arson fires injured nearly 600 civilians and firefighters and caused more than $143 million in damages in 2011, the most recent data available by the state fire marshal’s office. The state does not track all arson investigations.
In Dayton, the bulk of arsons are set in vacant structures. To date, there have been 63 suspicious fire investigations in the city in 2014. That’s about average, with 127 arson investigations in 2013 and 181 in 2012, said Asst. Fire Chief Michael Caudill.
The new registry will be most useful for tracking arsonists as they move into other counties, Caudill said.
“If we get a string of fires, we may look and see if somebody new has moved in, and we can pursue the investigation that way,” he said.
The registry, modeled after the sex offender registry, is not public record and can only be reviewed by law enforcement and fire officials. According to the Ohio Revised Code, anyone convicted of an arson crime or who was in prison for arson at the time the law took effect in 2013 has to register with his or her county sheriff.
To fund the registry, convicted arsonists must pay a $50 registration fee and a $25 annual fee.
Failing to register can result in the person being charged with a fifth-degree felony.
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