10-16-2014 Arkansas:
FORT SMITH (KFSM) – We are just days away from ghosts and goblins, and alls things scary roaming the streets and looking for treats. But to make sure your kids stay safe, deputies with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office are hitting the pavement Wednesday (Oct.15) looking for real monsters.
Sixteen teams of deputies will be out on the streets checking where sex offenders live for the rest of the week. Their goal is to make sure kids stay safe when they’re out trick of treating this Halloween.
“We have so many kids that are vulnerable in this day of age,” said Captian Mike Conger. “There’s various things going on and we want to keep predators off the street.” Deputies with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office keep a very close eye on where sex offenders are living and what they’re doing. They do that by performing compliance checks on them throughout the year.
“We usually do it during Halloween so we let the parents and everyone know that we do this to keep kids safe and not go to a house where an offender might be, ” according to Conger. Right now, there are 69 convicted sex offenders living in county limits so to make sure the deputies know who they are and which houses are theres an offender has to check in with deputies twice a year said Conger. ” They actually have to check into the office and do paper work and re-photograph whats going on,” said Conger.
With Halloween coming up, kids are going to be out going door to door asking that all too familiar question, trick- or- treat? But for law enforcement, it’s a little scary that kids aren’t always aware of which doorbells they should’nt be ringing. So to keep kids from knocking on those doors, they have the sex offenders put up a sign to let parents know.
“We have a bright pumpkin and it has a circle with a slash through it,” said Conger. Deputies said it’s also a good idea that parents get an idea of their trick- or- treat routes before hand. “What they need to do is go online to where ever their living and find out where an offender might be living in their area or close by,” said Conger. “Its just the responsiblity of adults to take care of their kids.”
Anyone can go to the Sebastian County online website and check to see if an offender lives near you.
Deputies with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office will be doing the compliance check through Friday (Oct.17). If offenders don’t meet the compliance checks, authorities said a warrant is issued for their arrest and they go back to jail. ..Source.. by Meredith Marney
October 16, 2014
Operation Safe Scare In Sebastian County
October 9, 2014
Parents Should Check Sex Offender Registry Before Halloween Trick or Treat
10-9-2014 New Jersey:
TOMS RIVER-Halloween is coming to Ocean County and children will eagerly go door to door, knocking for tricks and treats, but as parents, we may not know who or what lies beyond those doors.
Luckily in the digital age, parents can research and prepare prior to the big night.
While the best course of action is to participate in the affair with your children, not everyone does, but you can offer your unchaperoned teens and tweens a list of houses to avoid thanks to Megan’s Law and the Sex Offender Registry.
The Ocean County Board of Freeholders agree. In a statement today, the board stated, “It’s important to know what dangers a child may encounter when they are alone and out of the house. It’s also essential that they learn to avoid strangers and how to react if they are approached by an adult they do not know.”
The database lists up-to-date information on all convicted sex offenders who are residents of the Garden State.
Towns, counties, zip codes and even individual streets can be easily reviewed.
More advanced checks allow users to input the names of convicted sex offenders or check only newer records.
“This only takes a few minutes and can make a big difference in keeping a child safe,” Vicari said.
Vicari also suggested periodically checking the Megan’s Law database throughout the year. ..Source.. by Phil Stilton
Halloween law applies to all sex offenders
10-9-2014 Missouri:
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department plans to enforce a broader interpretation of a law that requires sex offenders to remain indoors on Halloween.
“Its about opportunity,” investigator Kenneth Shryock explained. “And what better way to have opportunity to be around all types of small children than on Halloween.”
The department released a statement saying that registered sex offenders are required by law to avoid all Halloween-related contact with children and remain inside their residence between 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Offenders also must post a sign stating “No candy or treats at this residence” and leave all residential lighting off during the evening hours.
And in accordance with the Buchanan County zero-tolerance enforcement, “If they don’t, then they come to jail,” Mr. Shryock said bluntly.
This change also requires additional man hours for the department. Under the old interpretation of the law, officers had to check on just more than 80 homes. Now, deputies will be knocking on the doors of all 272 registered offenders in Buchanan County.
The effort is a positive step, according to area children advocates.
The Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center on Woodbine Road provides counseling and forensic interviews with children who are victims of alleged abuse. Director Joyce Estes said this kind of diligence is needed.
“It’s true that most children that are abused are abused by someone known to the child, the family, whatever ...,” Ms. Estes said. “But that’s 80 percent. There’s still another 20 percent of children out there that are abused by strangers.”
This is a good move in part because the biggest group of trick-or-treaters falls into the largest victim group as well.
“There’s a lot of kids under 6 that are abused, but between 6 and 12 is the largest group,” Ms. Estes said.
Mr. Shryock agrees the risk is greater on a candy-gathering evening.
“You got the kids out there on Halloween, some of them unsupervised by parents,” he said. “If that offender’s previous conviction is on a small child, the tendency to reoffend on a small child is very high.”
In the past, there were opinions that the law could only be applied on people who were listed as sex offenders after August 2008, because of the state prohibition on retroactive punishments. The Sheriff’s Department said recent court rulings suggest the law can be enforced on all sex offenders. ..Source.. by Julie Love
October 6, 2014
Sex offender safety this Halloween season
10-6-2014 Illinois:
QUINCY, ILL. -- Halloween is an evening of collecting candy from homes that line the streets in your neighborhood.
If there are any dangers to your kids like sex offenders, you would know ... or would you?
Connie Walbring is not only a mother, but a grandmother. She says she never thought twice about Halloween and real dangers exist.
"We lived in a safe neighborhood, and my kids just went around the neighborhood and I stayed at home to pass our candy to the rest of the kids," Walbring said.
Adams County States Attorney Jon Barnard says sex offenders are only required to notify the law enforcement agency, they don't have to notify the neighborhood.
"Your address, as well as any change of address, the length of time which you are required to be registered will depend upon the gravity of the offense," Barnard said.
Adams County Sheriff Brent Fischer says if a sex offender's victim was under the age of 17 years old, the offender can not participate with Halloween.
"They cannot have their light on, hand out candy, or be dressed up. However, those where the victim was an adult, they can and are allowed to participate in that case."
While Connie is no longer raising her children, Dianne Corzatt is a mom of a 4-month-old boy. She says her family will go to community organized events such as trunk or treats, the Quincy Mall or to a local church to ensure a family friendly atmosphere.
"You just go around to each station and play games instead of trick or treating so you got candy that way. In the world we live into day, that seems like a very good alternate than going house to house," Corzatt said. ..Source.. by David Amelotti
Lowndes deputies add extra day of Halloween patrols
10-6-2014 Georgia:
LOWNDES COUNTY, GA (WALB) - Deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office will be out patrolling the unincorporated areas of the county on November 1st as well as October 31st, the traditional date of Halloween. Due to the annual Winnersville Classic football game between Lowndes County and Valdosta scheduled for Friday, October 31st, many residents may choose to trick or treat on November 1st.
"Given the indecision," said Lowndes County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Stryde Jones, "some people are gonna do it on the 31st some people are gonna be trick-or-treating on the 1st, we elected to have adequate staffing on both nights to assure that we patrol the neighborhoods, patrol the roadways, slow down traffic, and just do our best to keep the public safe."
Jones said there are also some things trick-or-treaters can do to help keep themselves safe. Be aware of your surroundings, be aware that traffic is moving around you, look both ways before you cross the street, wear some sort of bright clothing, and carry with you some sort of glow stick or flashlight," Jones emphasized."
He also pointed out that the sheriff's office will be taking extra steps on both days to keep trick-or-treaters safe from sex offenders. "We will be doing some special monitoring of the sex offenders in our county to ensure that they're not participating in the trick-or-treating event," said Jones. ..Source.. by Colter Anstaett
September 24, 2014
Neighborhood upset over sex offender decorating home for Halloween
How is this law worded? Is he prohibited from decorating his home? If so, does that prohibit his wife or someone else (non sex offender) from decorating his home? Who or what does the law pertain to?9-24-2014 Illinois:
CASEYVILLE, IL (KTVI) – Residents of a Caseyville neighborhood a furious that a home occupied by a registered sex offender is decked out with Halloween decorations. They believe it should be illegal, but officials say the law isn’t that clear.
Illinois law clearly forbids registered sex offenders from handing out candy on Halloween night, but decorating is not specifically mentioned.
The house on Twin Drive has witches, spider webs, pumpkins and a cauldron. A smoke machine is even part of the display. When it turned up, one neighbor, who asked not to be identified, quickly became worried.
“I’m really nervous about the kids in the neighborhood,” she said.
She’s concerned about the presence of Jessie Griffin. Griffin, now 55, was convicted of forcible sexual assault on a 12 year old. It happened seventeen years ago. Now he’s living in a home seemingly geared up for a kid friendly holiday.
“When I saw that, like I said, it was terrifying because there are plenty of children in the neighborhood and they don’t pay attention to those things,” the unidentified neighbor said.
A grandmother living directly across the street wants police involved. “I think that draws kids in and I don’t think they should be allowed to put things like that up if they’re sex offenders,” Jean Everson told us.
But police say it’s not a black and white case. They have been in contact with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney about the issue, but say they need to talk to the two men living in the house before they can make a solid determination about what is or is not legal.
Acting Caseyville Police Chief Frank Moore said, “At this point we feel like we’ve got enough concern that we’re gonna investigate a little bit further and we’ll go from there.”
Griffin does not live alone. Steve Lykins is his roommate. Lykins says he took griffin in a couple of months ago in an effort to help a guy down on his luck.
Lykins tells us the decorations belong to him, and he’s been doing this sort of thing since long before Griffin lived with him. As for the neighbors’ concerns, he says he can understand.
“I can see their thing, but Jessie isn’t bothering nobody. Something that happened in the past 17 years ago and he ain’t never been in trouble about it anymore. Every man needs a break once in a while.”
But across the street, Everson passionately disagrees. “I don’t believe that anybody that harms a child should be given a break or a second chance. Those are babies who can’t defend themselves.”
Police say after they question the residents of the house, they will go back to the States’ Attorney and try to determine if the decorations have to come down. ..Source.. by George Sells
December 8, 2008
Knowledge for a Revolution: From Fear to Truth
This is exactly what lawmakers have done to the sex offender population, the truth doesn't matter, repetitious political falsehoods do matter, according to them. They apply this theory to every sex offender registration collateral law to get it enacted.
12-8-2008 National:
(NaturalNews) The western world has purposely been misled, intimidated and hypnotized by fear from nearly all established institutions of civilization. The best way to wire an individual's brain for fear is to consistently state the exact same premise over and over again regardless of the veracity of such statements. As neuroscientists predict, individuals will unconsciously begin to believe such statements and the more often these ideas are reinforced, the stronger the hard wiring becomes.
We live in a semi-conscious state of terrorism where our minds have ostensibly been pre-programmed for fear. As history has consistently shown mankind, the best way to control a population is through the institutionalization of fear. Cancer, debt, disease, terrorism, sleeper cells, war, Al Qaeda, and death are just some of the key words promulgated throughout our daily lives, but how much of these are actually true threats deserving of our fear? Even better, how many of these fears are simply unfounded and misguided to keep us in an uncertain, apprehensive and controlled state of mind?
Transitioning from fear to truth marks an integral shift in the beginning of a revolution. Whether conscious or unconscious, this transformation marks the beginning of the inexorable zeitgeist where truth, knowledge and freedom become the founding principles of the new, emerging society. These changes will not occur overnight, but as western society begins to awaken to the inherent truth that fear is simply a technique to suppress the limitless potential of every human being, only then may we begin to become completely free. Releasing our fear as individuals allows us to take control of our destinies as well as facilitate in the transformation of the shifting revolution from the mindless greed of the majority to the love of the conscious minority. Overtime, this fearless and valiant minority will garner more and more support as the shift of knowledge swings from fear to truth until the minority precipitously becomes the majority. In order to supplant the rule of the incognizant majority, truthful knowledge must spread like wildfire across the earth.
We are free individuals by virtue of birth, yet much of our freedoms are lost through our inherent nature to conform to societal norms, from the unconscious, yet powerful and pervasive trends of socialization. We begin to look, act and model our lives around others. For it is fear of non-conforming that keeps the masses conforming. Presently, society is in the midst of an historical change, one where individuals will be defined by what they do for their fellow earthlings instead of what they physically possess. The facade of the material world is rightfully dissolving at an alarming rate only to make way for the emerging revolution of unending personal freedom, wellness, love, knowledge and truthfulness.
A revolution is an uprising of individuals who believe that enough of their rights have been suppressed, ignored and completely hijacked at the expense of those wanting to keep the status quo. When we break free of our fears, we are truly open to experience our true purpose: to live a passionate, happy and loving life. It is time we begin to take back our freedoms through knowledge and awareness because simply put, we are the ones we have been waiting for. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day". ..News Source.. by Dr. Gregory Damato, Ph.D., citizen journalist
