"the elders are taking care of it."
Bull shit they are. Swing, I don't know how it is in your state, but our state has a "Sex offender registry" that is available on-line through the State's Web site. Some states, as BethSarim said, make their names and place of residence along with their picture available to the public. Utah allows you to search the database by name OR by zip code. You can enter your zip code and find out who is living in your community. You would be amazed at how many there are.

There is a lot of legal controversy over whether the elders are obligated to go to the authorities, let alone inform the congregation. "The elders are taking care of it" was the same response I got several years ago when a "brother" went to kick his 15 year old son (disciplinary action?) and broke his arm. An elder that worked with me told me about it, thinking it was kind of funny. The kid was trying to protect his butt from the fathers kick. I made quite a stink about it, but of course, I was no longer active so my concerns were never taken seriously. I called social services and reported the incident anyway--oh yeah, another of the siblings in the family committed suicide a few years prior to this. Hmmm.... no problems in THAT family that the elders can't take care of. Bastards.

"There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out." ~ Russian Proverb