Making the world a safer place is a priority for everyone, and especially for parents. Becoming a father has made me more aware of the dangerous world in which we live. I recently moved to a new home and, only afterwards, did someone mention that I should check the sex offender registry on the internet. The results were frightening. I now have three neighbors within one block of my new home which are convicted of sex crimes and are required to register as sex offenders. In checking the list, I also found that several customers of my work place were also on the list for assorted sexually predatory acts including the rape of a five year old child. This is a sick world we live in.
So how do you protect your loved ones in a world that has become so twisted? Check the websites first thing. One great source is hosted by United States Department of Justice. It is the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry and can be found at http://www.nsopr.gov/ and is a free public service. Arm yourself with knowledge and thus protect your family. The site also has the pertinent facts related to each case and pictures, where available, which are formatted in a way where they can easily be printed as flyers to distribute to your neighbors. Be forewarned though that discretion is the better part of valor as I recently learned when handing out flyers at a local establishment where a child molester and rapist was drinking. This could have very easily become a violent incident had the local law enforcement not happened by at the correct moment.
Make the world a better place and be a good neighbor. Share what you learn and protect our children, for they are our future.