Criminal Database

Let me tell you a story about my closest friend. The guy spent his whole life living in North Carolina. He loved the place, and thought he'd be there forever.

Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.
Author: William Shakespeare

Until one day he found a job out in Los Angeles, California. It was the jab he'd been looking for and it was his for the taking. So he decided to grab his wife and little boy, and head out to LA. They moved into a nice suburb and he started his dream job. In no time at all, he heard about a child that was abducted from his neighborhood. Naturally this was upsetting, because he had a young boy of his own. The last thing he wanted was for his family to be in danger. When I spoke with him on the phone not long after, I told him to check out the national criminal database. This way he could research his area in particular and see what registered sex offenders were living near by. Well, as it turned out, 8 of them lived within a few miles. YIKES! He suddenly regretted moving there.

Just to see you smile I'd do anything that you wanted me to, when all is said and done I'd never count the cost, it's worth all that's lost, just to see you smile
Author: Tim McGraw

I told him that 8 did sound like a high number and it was rather unsettling, but chances are he had sex offenders living near him before also. These guys are everywhere. If you think they're not, guess again.

When was the last time you checked out the local criminal database for registered sex offenders? If you haven't at all, you may be in for a rude awakening. And please don't tell me you're in some rural Midwestern town, because I live in one as well, and there are three registered sex offenders within minutes from my home. As a matter of fact, those are just the ones who've been caught. Imagine how many others are out there who haven't. This is a dismal and infuriating topic, I know. However, it is one that deserves discussion. My point is that you should take advantage of your online resources by checking out the local criminal database. Find out what sex offenders do live in your neck of the woods. This way you can at least let your children know where it's not safe to play. Furthermore, wouldn't you want to know if a pedophile was living next door to you?

I appreciate the online system and the fact that it's free to the general public. Having access to a criminal database can even assist you when you're searching to buy a home. Find out what the neighborhood is like before you move there.

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for othersremains, and is immortal."
Author: Arthur Pine