Staying Safe with a Sex Offender Living Next Door

Sex offenders are required by law to register with the state that they are living in. This registration tracks where they are living, however, it also provides the public with a tool for identifying sexual predators in their neighborhoods. Unfortunately, beyond this notification tool communities aren't given much else to work with to protect their kids from becoming the sex offenders' next victims. This is why it is important for communities to work together to keep their children safe.

Know Who You're Dealing With

The first thing that you need to do is to keep track of the sex offenders in your neighborhood and know what their sex crime was. This information will not only help you to identify who to watch out for, but it will also give you an idea about how dangerous they are and what type of criminal they are. For example, a violent sex offender is a double threat as they are likely to commit a variety of violent crimes in addition to sex crimes.

Keep Your Neighbors Informed

The next step is to start a community watch program. This community effort can help protect kids from danger by having all the parents on the block watch out for dangerous situations and interactions. This program can be as simple as having a phone tree in place for spreading information about new sex offenders in the neighborhood or it can be a more complex system in which parents actively patrol the neighborhood.

Educate Your Kids

It is critical to your children's safety that you educate them about sex offenders in general and about the sex offenders in your neighborhood. You need to tell them how to stay safe and what to do if the sex offender tries to talk to them. You can also show your kids a few basic self defense moves that can save their life such as kicking, screaming and avoiding dangerous situations in the first place. In order to make this plan effective you need to talk about what to do and who is dangerous more than once.

Home Safety

Another issue that you need to think about when you are living in a neighborhood with sex offenders is your home safety, especially if your kids are home alone after school. It may be a good idea to install a home security system that includes window and door sensors and a panic buttons that your kids can wear around their necks when playing in the yard or home alone can also be helpful.

References

http://wnymedia.net/wnymedia/marcodien/2009/08/theres-a-sex-offender-in-your-neighborhood/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/91363/keeping_the_neighborhood_safe_when.html?cat=17

http://www.deltacountyindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10221:be-wise-cautious-about-sex-offenders-in-your-neighborhood&catid=35:north-fork&Itemid=345