Online Sex Offender Web Site Is User-Friendly

Last Updated:03-22-06 at 12:48PM
There are more than 63,000 convicted sex offenders in California, with at least 4,000 right here in San Diego. Now, tracking their whereabouts just got easier.There are lots of things parents can do to protect their children. One thing you can do from your computer is log on to FamilyWatchdog.us. Like other Web sites, it alerts parents and the public on the whereabouts of sexual predators.Mother of three Bernadette Abshier has used other Web sites before as a way of protecting her children."It's good to have information, and it's good to be able to see it quickly," she said. "I haven't been on this particular Web site, but other Web sites that are offered and I have been on them, so I am aware."Police say it's crucial for parents to know who's living in their neighborhood, and if strangers are lurking around schools or parks.The FamilyWatchdog.us site is very user-friendly. All you have to do is enter an address and a detailed map pops up. Click on the squares that appear and you'll get information about sexual predators -- what they look like, where they live, their convictions, and where they work.Where they worked really interested Bernadette."I think that's new, I don't think I've been on a Web site that gives you the difference," she said.The information on Family Watchdog's Web site is the same information on California's Megan's Law Web site. The Family Watchdog Web site is the only sex offender Web site that has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show.