Protecting Children

How can I protect my family?

Get automatic notification! Your local law enforcement may provide automatic notification to you should a registered sex offender move close to you. If your local law enforcement does not already provide direct or email notification, you should contact your local law enforcement and request that they implement such a service.

I received a post card notification. What do I do?

If you have received a notification flier from law enforcement that there is a convicted sex offender living in your neighborhood, you should follow Megans Law Rules of Conduct:

You may do the following:

Do share and discuss the information you received with your family and others in your household.
Do share the information with anyone caring for your children at your residence in your absence.
Do take appropriate precautions to protect your children, based on the information provided.
Do discuss with your children how to act and what to do when dealing with strangers.
Do use the information responsibly to facilitate the safety and well-being of those in your care.

Doing the following is inappropriate and may result in legal action against you:

Do not attempt to harm the offender or his/her property. Do not harass the offender or make unsolicited, unwanted contact. If you believe the individual is a physical threat to you or children in your care please contact your local police.
Do not take any action against the offender's family, household members or employer that may in any way harm or harass a person or property.

What else should I know about sex offenders?
Why are sex offender registries and community notifications important?

Sex Offenders are people you work with, shop with, go to church with; they are people you know.

There are over 900,000 registered sex offenders in the US. An estimated 100,000 offenders are non-compliant, meaning law enforcement doesn't know where they are but they are living in our communities.
That equates to 1 sex offender per 450 people and 1 sex offender per 246 men
90% are male
90% are religious
75% are Caucasian
80% are/have been married
65% are middle income or above
50% are college educated
45% of sexual assault victims are under 12 years of age.
75% of victims know their attacker.
Over half of rape/sexual assault incidents happened within a mile of the victim's home.
Sex offenders cross socio-economic boundaries, living in both the richest and poorest neighborhoods.
1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
1 in 3 children will report the incident
1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.
Nearly 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims; at least 20% have 10 to 40 victims.
An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his lifetime.
Sex offenders move an average of 3 times per year
In most metropolitan areas, 80% of the population lives within one mile of a registered sex offender

This information is provided to assist you in protecting your family. Law enforcement will notify all appropriate community members, schools, organizations, residences and businesses. If you are not certain whether sharing the notification flier with a particular individual or disclosing the notification information would be appropriate under particular circumstances, you should contact your local Law Enforcement Office or the Prosecutor's Office, for specific direction.