Sex offenders must register in Colorado, giving you the opportunity to know if they live in your neighborhood. But a 7NEWS hidden camera investigation exposes a troubling trail of misinformation.

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The issue is a false sense of security, said 7NEWS Investigator Tony Kovaleski.

No parent wants to move into a neighborhood full of sex offenders, but our 7NEWS investigation found that parents asking the right questions may still get the wrong information.

When convicted sexual predator Michael Carroll moved into a Highlands Ranch neighborhood, the sheriff's department sent letters and organized a meeting, making sure everyone knew his name, his criminal history and where he now lives.

"There's kids always out in their yards playing. I am concerned for their safety," said parent Linda Wasem.

It's clearly information parents want to know but there's an apparent communication breakdown in other locations.

During '7NEWS hidden camera investigation, a woman who works at the Highline Terrace Apartment complex in southeast Denver said, "No one with felonies is allowed to live here. No one with evictions."

She said the complex conducts criminal background checks.

But public records show three sex offenders have registered at the address and at least two have felony convictions.

The leasing manager at the Rob Roy Apartments in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood told our hidden cameras, "We do make sure there are no sex offenders, or (anyone who's) been in prison."

"The building is safe. No sex offenders. No nothing. Everything is fine," the Rob Roy leasing agent said.

Again, public records tell a different story.

A report from the Denver Police Department lists nine registered sex offenders at the Rob Roy apartments.

"We do a couple of background checks. And if they have any felonies, they are not allowed to move in," said a leasing manager for the Summit Ridge Apartments near Denver's Tech Center.

Public records show six registered sex offenders at the Summit Ridge Apartments.

Undercover 7NEWS Producer: "If they have a criminal background what do you tell them?"
Summit Ridge Leasing Manager: "They are declined."

Three leasing agents, all offering a sense of security, all contradicted by public records.

But perhaps the most troubling misinformation came from Denver's Cherry Grove Apartments. 7NEWS sent in a mom and her 5-month old daughter along with a 7NEWS investigator.

Cherry Grove Leasing agent: "No felony record at all ... We don't accept anybody with any eviction nor with a felony record."
7NEWS Investigator: "A felony record, any felony ..."
Cherry Grove Leasing agent: "Any felony, yeah. I don't care how small it is or class. "
Undercover Mother: "Obviously, with a little girl, safety is my No. 1 priority."
Cherry Grove Leasing agent: "Those are the reasons why we don't accept felons."

But once again, public reports show felons are living at Cherry Grove. In fact, Denver police records show 18 registered sex offenders.

"I am shocked right now. I don't know what to think or what to say," said Katie McChone, whose sister lives at Cherry Grove. Her two children play there every day.

"I don't feel safe with the children being around here," said McChone.

If you want accurate information on the sex offenders living in your community. You need to take the initiative. You need to get the report from your local police department. Do not rely on information from others. A list of the most violent sex offenders in the state is also listed on the Colorado Bureau of Information Web site.

All four communities conducted their own investigations and told 7NEWS that some of the felons were not the "tenants of record." Other sex offenders moved in before the communities began doing background checks. The Rob Roy said it changed its policy in February and no longer accepts sex offenders. Cherry Grove has sent "notices of quit" to apartments that sex offenders had listed as their address.