Santa Barbara has become one of the many counties in the United States to provide an online, searchable sex offender database for its citizens. The database is called Offender Watch, and it is managed by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s office.
The site provides a slide-show introduction describing how to use the new system. The slide-show also lists informative statistics about sex offenders such as: “More than half of rape/sexual assault incidents happen within a mile of the victim’s home.”
Incidentally, the new searchable sex offender registry allows users to enter their address and then view a map pinpointing registered sex offenders within a one mile radius of the address. Concerned citizens can also register to be notified of new sex offenders in their neighborhood. The Sheriff’s department is legally allowed to make specific notifications to any resident living within 1,000 feet of a register offender. Searches for a specific registered sex offender can also be performed through this site.
Providing this website is a great step to making sex offender information more accessible to the public. However, we’ve probably all seen those movies or heard of stories where someone goes on a one man crusade to crucify a sex offender in their neighborhood. Sex offender registries are created to provide the public with information to help keep us, our loved ones, and our neighbors safe. So, as members of the public, it is also important that we use the power of information responsibly.
Those not located in the Santa Barbra neighborhood can check with the local Sheriff’s Department to find out if they operate a sex offender registry. Also, many state Department of Corrections offices maintain a sex offender registry. For easy access to your state or neighborhood’s sex offender registry, visit The Free Public Records Directory. This site provides search resources and links, by state, for sex offender registries.
1 response so far ↓
1 Peter Del Valle // May 9, 2008 at 5:22 pm
“However, we’ve probably all seen those movies or heard of stories where someone goes on a one man crusade to crucify a sex offender in their neighborhood. Sex offender registries are created to provide the public with information to help keep us, our loved ones, and our neighbors safe. So, as members of the public, it is also important that we use the power of information responsibly.”
To HELL with that! If there is an offender in my neighborhood and I find it on your site, or ANY site, that bastard is NOT going to sleep until he moves. I would DARE the police to arrest me, I’d demand a jury trial and NOBODY would find me guilty!
We should ALL use the registry to do whatever it takes to get the offenders AWAY from our children, before they are RAPED AND MURDERED. It’s ONLY a matter of time, so ….
Use the registry to KICK THEM OUT!! “Nuff said…
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