Norwich — Connecticut Department of Correction officials pledged to examine the policies surrounding placement of sex offenders in state-subsidized rental housing in residential neighborhoods, provide more information about placements to municipal officials and hold quarterly meetings with leaders in the host towns.

Interim Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple said at the start of an hourlong meeting Wednesday that he was “taken aback” by the number of registered sex offenders — 110 — living in Norwich, a city with a population of about 40,000. He said the number seems significantly higher than he would expect, given the size of the general population.

The nonprofit agency Connections Inc. leases a two-family house at 152 Broad St. for convicts released under the REACH (Reentry Assisted Community Housing) program. Neighbors learned of the placements by talking to tenants, and brought their complaints to the Norwich City Council and local legislators.

Currently, registered sex offenders Carlos Cruz and Christopher DePallo live at 152 Broad St., according to the state sex offender registry. State officials said Wednesday the state typically seeks lease agreements with contract firms on a year-to-year basis, and use of the Broad Street house started in July 2013.

Semple said he is not inclined to order that no further placements be allowed in the Broad Street house, but said he would examine the state’s approval of the site in the residential neighborhood near a school bus stop.

Semple recently did order no additional placements in a similar situation in Manchester, but said he realized after that decision he would face similar requests in other towns. State Rep. Emmett Riley, D-Norwich, asked during the meeting if the commissioner would make the same order in Norwich.

“When I walked out of that meeting,” Semple said of the Manchester decision, “I thought ‘now every community will want the same.’”

But Semple did pledge to re-examine the correction department’s approval process for REACH beds. He said renting entire small apartment houses is a preferred situation to avoid affecting other tenants who live in an apartment house.

“We have to look at the bed placement,” state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, said of the upcoming legislative session, “to ensure that we’re not impacting neighborhoods. While renting a full house may work better, but you have to understand the impacts.”

After the meeting, Semple said Norwich and surrounding towns are not being “targeted” for additional placements of sex offenders because the January Center, a treatment facility for sex offenders, is located nearby on the grounds of the Corrigan Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville. The January Center also is run by Connections Inc.

He said agencies responding when the state goes out to bid for rental housing subsidies are more likely to find rental housing in cities, where housing is more plentiful and less expensive.

Osten said she also wants to explore increased penalties for convicted sex offenders, the length of time they must remain on the mandatory sex offender registry and a possible tiered registry system that would provide more details about an offender’s situation to the public.

In Manchester, Semple agreed to hold quarterly meetings with the community, and he said department officials would do the same in Norwich. He said a public hearing in Manchester, however, turned contentious, with residents demanding the house be closed down rather than hear details about the strict oversight and frequent supervision of sex offenders residing in the state-subsidized facility.

“It’s just such a difficult situation to manage,” Semple said. “I do believe in this program.”

Norwich Mayor Deberey Hinchey called Wednesday’s meeting “a good first step” and said she would work to schedule the first quarterly meeting soon. She said neighbors deserve to know the state’s plans to rent houses as well as the detailed supervision placed on sex offenders in the REACH and other placement programs.

Hinchey said while the Broad Street residents definitely would not want any sex offenders in their neighborhood, they also were angry that residents were not told about the state’s approval of the house for sex offender placements.

Osten said in addition to the current four REACH beds leased in Norwich, the state places sex offenders in housing through programs run by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Department of Developmental Disabilities. All agencies involved in placements should be asked to participate in discussions, Osten said.

During Wednesday’s meeting, state officials outlined details of the intense supervision by parole and probation officers and law enforcement agencies on sex offenders in the various programs.

State officials said the current supervision program has been in place for 10 years, and the recidivism rate for sex offenders is among the lowest of all convicts in the state, Semple said.

But he said he understands the public’s concern about the issue.

“You’d think it was the opposite,” Semple said. “The general public thinks every sex offender had offenses against a child, and every child is vulnerable.”

Eric Ellison, deputy director of the Department of Correction’s parole division, said many factors are considered in allowing placement of sex offenders, including proximity to victims. Because many times victims are family members, the offender cannot be returned to the person’s former residence.

Ellison said prior to recent lease agreements for sex offender housing in Norwich, the state placed 32 offenders from Norwich in other cities and towns because there were no available beds in Norwich. Many other sex offenders living in the city are not receiving state rental subsidies and are free to live where they choose.

Statewide, there are 5,300 sex offenders on the state registry, and about half of them are receiving supervised services, state officials said.

Current state law requires offenders to register either for a 10-year period or for life, depending on the severity of their crimes. Ellison said experts have determined that there is a risk of “crossover” offense in that if a sex offender’s victim was an adult, it doesn’t mean the person wouldn’t also offend against a minor.

Hinchey said the frequent state monitoring of sex offenders in the house has a dual effect on residents. While knowing that the offenders are constantly under supervision might be reassuring, the frequent appearance of official state vehicles and officers at the house might give the impression that incidents have occurred to bring law enforcement there.

“So much of what we’ve talked about today addresses the concerns of the neighbors,” Hinchey said. “They’re not going to like it. Nobody is.”

c.bessette@theday.com

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