Binghamton University students may not be aware that when they go to class, they could be walking the campus with sex offenders.

That’s because offenders — a total of approximately 180 live in the City of Binghamton — are allowed limited access to campus.

Of the roughly 180 sex offenders living in Binghamton, only 118 are registered on the state’s Web site, according to Binghamton Detective Sgt. Arnold Nanni.

Nanni said this was because level one sex offenders are classified at low risk of re-offending and do not need to register.

In the past, News Channel 12 has reported that the Binghamton area has more sex offenders per capita than any other metropolitan area in the state.

According to Officer Madeline Bay of Binghamton’s New York State University Police, University police are notified if any sex offenders enroll at BU. The offenders’ access to campus is limited to some extent.

Bay said that though the offenders could be allowed access to classes and the Glenn G. Bartle Library, they aren’t allowed in residential halls.

“BU students may not know if a sex offender is going to be on campus,” Bay said. “But the residential halls have classes for self defense and other educational programs.”

“Because you never know who you may meet,” Bay added.

According to Nanni, many offenders in Binghamton live Downtown in a halfway house on Henry Street. Nanni said offenders move there to keep an eye on them when they first get out of jail.

“Dixie 2000 [the halfway house] is a transitional place for the offenders,” Nanni said. “It is better to put them in a spot where they can be monitored all the time, rather than just releasing them to the public.”

According to Nanni, the offenders need to check in at certain times during the day, and must also sign out when leaving the house.

Nanni said only the offender’s parole officer can decide when an offender can leave the home for good.