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Sex-Offender Registry - Check it Out!

Until recently I had never thought about sex offenders or their registries. Not having children of my own, it was not something I ever pursued. However, with all eyes on Florida & the incredible rape / murders that have taken place there of late, I decided to take another look at this registry system.

To say the very least, it is pure tragedy that these lovely young girls died under such violent, terrifying circumstances. Circumstances that were so avoidable. I'm not going to analyze what went wrong & continues to be wrong in Florida. There are more knowledgeable than I looking at the judicial system, the child welfare system, etc. What I "stump" for here is to check the registry!

There are several problems with the registry as a whole.

(1) People don't know where to look for it!

To solve that problem, here is a quick link to the nationwide registry: http://www.criminalcheck.com

TYPE IN YOUR ZIP CODE ONLY! (Prepare to be amazed!)

In my parents sleepy, largely retirement town of Spring Hill, Fl there are currently 33 registered sex offenders. 24 of those have been convicted of sex with minors. Compare this to the 4 that reside in Elmont, the town in Long Island that I grew up in. I would bet, that on the surface, people would consider Elmont a more dangerous town to live in since it is a (now) an ethnically mixed community that borders Queens.

In my neighborhood, with the home values at 1 million plus, there are 35 registered sex offenders. Of these, 20 have been convicted of sex with minors. 10 have been convicted of violent rape. 5 of them have been convicted of rape with foreign objects. What shocked me more than the numbers, was that 80% of them lived in a City of Los Angeles Subsidized Housing Complex. In addition to these sex offenders, this complex contains a small playground & many minor children. (County & City officials are obviously also not consulting this registry when they place people here.) I have walked Sweetie past this housing unit, a mere 2 1/2 blocks away from me, numerous times. NO MORE!!!

(2) There is no uniformity (or conformity) to the registry.

Different states post different information to the registry. New York's registry is the most detailed. It not only lists the crime, dates of conviction, residence, but place of business, (better) physical description & the contact info of their probation officer. Additionally, each offender is assigned a RISK LEVEL. No other state seems to have this much information. (I am certain that the totality of this registry is a deterrent to sex offenders.) Not surprising, Florida's information is minimal. Also while punching in zip codes from around the country, I noted that many of the states' info was outdated. I discovered that some information had not been updated in years. In light of recent events, I urge you to write your Congressman & demand that the sex-offender registry be standardized. This can be done easily. Use New York as the model.

(3) It appears to only be READILY available to those that are computer / Internet savvy.

The registry needs to be available nationwide, by PHONE. Yes, you can go to your local police station & obtain the information. But many working families, immigrants & those at the highest risk (the poor that live in subsidized housing) are either too afraid to go to the police station or do not have the time to do so.

This column is not intended to be FEAR MOTIVATED. I am also not recommending that we get torches & pitchforks & en masse run these offenders out of town on a rail. If the sex offender is holding down a job & checking in with his or her supervisor, I believe they should be allowed to live in peace. This column's intent is for everyone to be PROACTIVE! My father always told me that "Forewarned is Forearmed." I prefer the scripture, "Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."