Do You Want to be Told When a Sex Offender Moves in to Your Neighborhood?
Do you want to be informed when a sex offender moves in to your neighborhood? For one, I would like that information. I know that Megan’s Law requires sex offenders to register and for authorities to notify the public about sex offenders. In most places, except for a handful of local agencies, there is no proactive notification.
Proactive vs Reactive Notification
Megan’s Law does not require that law enforcement authorities actively announce to the community in general that registered sex offenders have moved in. As a matter of fact – the main method of notification, is that they have a website that you can access that shows the name, address, and sometimes location on a map, the addresses of registered sex offenders. You have to ask for the information.
The Monterey County Sheriff Department (CA) has taken a more proactive stance. Proactive meaning that they will notify you as soon as a registered sex offender changes locations, or moves into the area. All you need to do is register at their department for the information. There are a handful of other police agencies across the US that provide a similar service.
For me, the proactive approach is much better. I know that I can check back from time to time and get my own updates, but what if I forget this month, or a couple of months? The problem is, I don’t live in Monterey County, or another county that has the service, so I need another way.
Your Own Proactive Choices
There is a service on the internet that provides you with updates whenever a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood. You register with the site and choose the red alert option and you can be informed via email whenever a registered sex offender moves in near you.
I have heard of that service before, but it isn’t free. It is called the National Alert Registry. It costs $4.95 a month. So my question is this: Is it worth less than $0.17 a day to you to protect your family? Whether or not you want to use the service is not the issue. The main thing is to stay informed and protect your family. If you choose to do the checking yourself, contact your local law enforcement agency to get their internet site and check it often.
Barry Dunn, EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Protecting Your Kids From Sex Offenders on Squidoo
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_Dunn
Related posts
Tags: family, megan's law, offender, offenders, registered sex offender, registered sex offenders, sex offender, sex offenders