The T.A.S.K. Program was a joint effort between OffenderWatch Initiative and local School Boards and law enforcement to help parents be vigilant about offenders near them. By partnering with schools and sheriff’s offices, we got the message out there that “Notification Is Prevention”.
Here’s how the program worked:
OffenderWatch Initiative rolled out the T.A.S.K. Program to many parishes and counties throughout the United States. This program allowed thousands of families to become more aware and safe. But the threat is still there. Download and use the OffenderWatch Family Parent app to help you watch over your kids.
T.A.S.K. Instructions for Parents T.A.S.K. Instructions for Kids Notification is Prevention It’s hard to track how many lives we saved by sending notifications on sex offenders. However, we have one story that proves notification is prevention. When Rachael arrived home one day she found her mother reviewing a notification with a familiar face. The face was James Harris’, a sex offender who had recently moved to their area after being released on probation. A condition of that probation was that he not have contact with children. Rachael told her mother that Harris had been following her school bus. Her mom immediately called the police and a warrant was issued, and the offender was arrested. This story ended happily because the girl’s mother was notified of offenders in their area, but most parents don’t know how to access this information or what to do with it once they have it. The problem is... 75% of victims know their attacker. They are not a stranger. Over half of these incidents occur within one mile of the victim’s home. It happens in their neighborhood. Offenders who are released on probation or otherwise move an average of 3 times a year. The data on where they are is constantly changing. 80% of us have an offender within one mile of our home. They live in safest of areas and don’t track any particular demographic. 90% of registered offenders had a victim under 18 years old. Do you know your neighborhood?
It’s hard to track how many lives we saved by sending notifications on sex offenders.
However, we have one story that proves notification is prevention.
When Rachael arrived home one day she found her mother reviewing a notification with a familiar face.
The face was James Harris’, a sex offender who had recently moved to their area after being released on probation. A condition of that probation was that he not have contact with children.
Rachael told her mother that Harris had been following her school bus. Her mom immediately called the police and a warrant was issued, and the offender was arrested.
This story ended happily because the girl’s mother was notified of offenders in their area, but most parents don’t know how to access this information or what to do with it once they have it.
The problem is...