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ERIN GALBALLY: Just after dusk on a weeknight, probation officers Jennifer Bruessel and Alex Bunger climb out of their unmarked car and start down a narrow Rochester walkway.

JENNIFER BRUESSEL: What's the number again?

ALEX BUNGER: 2.

ERIN GALBALLY: Bruessel and Bunger are sex offender probation officers working a region that spans Dodge, Fillmore, and Olmsted Counties. Tonight, they're out making random spot checks on sex offenders who are part of their caseloads. They want to check on the men's activities, make sure they aren't doing anything to violate the terms of their probation.

The men can't use drugs or alcohol or possess pornography. One of the first stops is to see a sex offender we'll call Steve. He's among the roughly 35 men on Alex Bunger's caseload. Steve comes to the door in a yellow polo shirt. He answers questions and makes small talk as his television blares in the background.

Steve was convicted of molesting his son. He went to prison. Now, he's on probation. Jennifer Bruessel inspects his refrigerator. A moments later, Alex Bunger checks out Steve's computer. While they do that, Steve reflects on his crime.

STEVE: I'm not going back. The reminder of where I was and what I lost is enough.

[TELEVISION CHATTER]

JENNIFER BRUESSEL: And you know what you need to do to keep yourself out, don't you?

STEVE: Yeah. Keep the porn off my computer.

ALEX BUNGER: That's one.

STEVE: That's one step.

ALEX BUNGER: That's one of many.

ERIN GALBALLY: Bruessel and Bunger work an unpredictable mix of days and nights. They strive hard to balance mountains of paperwork and court appearances with time spent on the road visiting the men that make up their caseloads.

Back in 2000, the state legislature approved money to start a pilot program. The goal was to make sure probation officers were working with only a handful of sex offenders at any given time. The theory is, small caseloads allow probation officers to get out of the office and into the community for more hands-on work. That leads the way for more intensive probation and gives officers time to actually monitor offenders.

The results of the pilot program were hailed as a major success. And other areas around the state began to adopt some of the same techniques. The money for the pilot program ended three years ago, but since then, Dodge, Fillmore, and Olmsted Counties managed to secure different state dollars to keep most of the pieces intact.

Patty Rime runs the sex offender probation program for the three counties. For a decade, she was a probation officer supervising sex offenders.

PATTY RIME: I've been there where I've had a high caseload when I was an agent. At one time, I was up to supervising 80 offenders. Now, trying to keep track of 80 people in the community for one person-- I mean, you're not going to be able to know what's going on in their lives.

ERIN GALBALLY: A statewide survey conducted back in 1999 indicates probation officer caseloads ranged from about 40 sex offenders to close to 200. The pilot program gave Rime's division $150,000. She says, that money helped to bring caseloads down to about 35.

For high-risk offenders, the ratio is even lower. Each probation officer works with only 15 offenders. Rime says, the results are pretty clear. Nationally, 13% of sex offenders are known to reoffend.

But in the Southeastern counties that Rime manages, it's more like 3%. In part, that's because Rime's officers catch offenders in smaller violations-- if they're using pornography or drugs. She says, if those things went unchecked, they could lead to new sex crimes.

PATTY RIME: Being here for over 12 years and seeing the change from having two probation officers working with sex offenders to now eight, what I have been able to see that works is that, yes, our violations went up when we had less offenders on each caseload because what happened was, agents were able to get out there and catch offenders in more violations.

ERIN GALBALLY: Rime says, that's a sign the program is working.

PATTY RIME: Even though for some people that might seem like, wow, look at your violations have gone up, you're not doing as good, we look at it as a success because we're catching these people. We're finding out who's really working their treatment program. Who's really serious about changing? Because the ones that we go to their home and they're doing what they need to do-- they're not violating, they're working their job, they're staying away from kids-- we're going to say, you know what? These people appear to be integrating treatment, so they're lowering their risk to reoffend.

ERIN GALBALLY: Rime's program includes more than 200 sex offenders in all. They range from violent rapists to peeping Toms. Some have served prison time. But in this part of the state, most are sentenced to supervised probation. That means there's a lot riding on Rime's team of officers.

The state budget crisis hasn't helped matters. As of July 1, state funding to community corrections was cut. That forced the sex offender division to make cuts too.

Some things had to go. For instance, offenders right out of prison no longer get help with their first few months of rent. Housing plays a big role in how sex offenders readjust to life in the community. But Rime says, more funding cuts will really jeopardize her program.

PATTY RIME: If we start to lose any other money, it's going to start chipping away at agents. And we're going to see our caseloads go back up, which I'm really fearful of. People need to talk to their legislators, and they need to say, keep funding probation supervision because lower caseloads are the key for us to really be out in the community and keep an eye on these offenders.

ERIN GALBALLY: Probation officers Jennifer Bruessel and Alex Bunger say, some of their most important work happens when they check on offenders out in the community. As they continue their night out, they stop at an aging apartment complex to check on Phillip. When they arrive, they question Phillip about why his apartment smells like marijuana.

JENNIFER BRUESSEL: Have you been smoking dope today?

PHILLIP: No.

JENNIFER BRUESSEL: Why does it smell like marijuana in here?

PHILLIP: It does not.

JENNIFER BRUESSEL: Yes, it does.

PHILLIP: It does not.

ALEX BUNGER: Was anybody else in here?

PHILLIP: No.

ERIN GALBALLY: The man continues his denials. But Bruessel and Bunger remain unconvinced. They decide to radio for a K-9 dog and police officer to search the apartment. When the K-9 team arrives, the apartment is cleared, and the search begins.

The police officer and dog re-emerge into the hallway to deliver the news.

OFFICER: He showed indication in the jacket that's on the couch. I didn't search the jacket, but he's showing indication. He didn't hit it on it hard. So my guess would be there's probably nothing in there. But the coat does smell like marijuana to the dog.

ERIN GALBALLY: Bruessel and Bunger decide to take Phillip to the Olmsted County Jail for a urine test. Ultimately, he passes. But both probation officers note, they'll be watching him more closely in the coming months.

If Phillip were living anywhere else in the state, visits like this from a probation officer probably wouldn't happen. He's been on probation for a while and had appeared to be complying with the terms of his release. The officers say, they're concerned largely because Phillip was high on marijuana when he attacked a woman several years ago. They believe if he's using drugs again, he's at a higher risk to commit another offense. They say, that's why intensive probation and random spot checks are the best tools they have to prevent future crime.

I'm Erin Galbally, Minnesota Public Radio, Rochester.