Keep sex offenders out in broad view
Posted: Saturday, Feb 18, 2006 - 07:35:30 pm PST
We're certain she meant well.
A local woman contacted media this week with information about a registered sex offender employed at a respected Kootenai County business. She called back several days later, upset about a number of things but clearly determined to ultimately draw the public's attention to the situation. Her ultimate objective? We can't be certain because she hung up, but we believe it was to pressure the employer to fire the sex offender.Had the woman's intent been purely to heighten awareness to the overall presence of sex offenders in our community, we would have been right with her.Had she spent her time calling legislators supporting stricter legislation, we would have encouraged her boisterously.
But in her calls to city officials, the media and others, the woman's noble intentions were clouded, we believe, into unclear thinking.Here's why.She admitted that the registered sex offender does not work in any kind of supervisory capacity. She also acknowledged that the offender has no contact at work with children. In short, he was in no position of advantage to do harm to innocent people.We're foursquare behind legislators who are busily crafting new laws intended to make Idaho as undesirable a place to call home as any sex offender could find. We also have done numerous stories, and will do more in the future, to inform the public about how to know where registered sex offenders are and to take every legal precaution to ensure their children are safe.One of the best sources of that information is a Web site, www.familywatchdog.us. The site shows the last known address of every registered sex offender in your area, with photos and an explanation of their convictions. It contains a map and even shows the distance each offender allegedly lives from your home.Accurate information is the best weapon a person can possess, and we want you to be informed. But like we told the caller, we'd much rather have a registered sex offender right where everyone knows they should be, earning an honest living rather than collecting welfare checks and sitting on their porch, watching our children go to and from school.It's the sex offenders among us who aren't properly registered that we worry about.
Posted: Saturday, Feb 18, 2006 - 07:35:30 pm PST
We're certain she meant well.
A local woman contacted media this week with information about a registered sex offender employed at a respected Kootenai County business. She called back several days later, upset about a number of things but clearly determined to ultimately draw the public's attention to the situation. Her ultimate objective? We can't be certain because she hung up, but we believe it was to pressure the employer to fire the sex offender.Had the woman's intent been purely to heighten awareness to the overall presence of sex offenders in our community, we would have been right with her.Had she spent her time calling legislators supporting stricter legislation, we would have encouraged her boisterously.
But in her calls to city officials, the media and others, the woman's noble intentions were clouded, we believe, into unclear thinking.Here's why.She admitted that the registered sex offender does not work in any kind of supervisory capacity. She also acknowledged that the offender has no contact at work with children. In short, he was in no position of advantage to do harm to innocent people.We're foursquare behind legislators who are busily crafting new laws intended to make Idaho as undesirable a place to call home as any sex offender could find. We also have done numerous stories, and will do more in the future, to inform the public about how to know where registered sex offenders are and to take every legal precaution to ensure their children are safe.One of the best sources of that information is a Web site, www.familywatchdog.us. The site shows the last known address of every registered sex offender in your area, with photos and an explanation of their convictions. It contains a map and even shows the distance each offender allegedly lives from your home.Accurate information is the best weapon a person can possess, and we want you to be informed. But like we told the caller, we'd much rather have a registered sex offender right where everyone knows they should be, earning an honest living rather than collecting welfare checks and sitting on their porch, watching our children go to and from school.It's the sex offenders among us who aren't properly registered that we worry about.
posted by Richy at 9:44 AM
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