EVerify Fights To Keep Your Community Safe

Sheriffs and police use Internet backed systems such as eVerify to protect you from criminals, however, you and other homeowners in the vicinity should take crucial steps to protect yourselves from vandalism and crime. This is where eVerify and the neighborhood watch steps in.

What is Neighborhood Watch?

A neighborhood watch or a town watch comprises of a group of residents who actively monitor their local community, using eVerify if needs be. Members of the watch scheme will report all suspicious activity to the local officials so it can be investigated. In general, this means the suspicious individual will be investigated via eVerify.

eVerify
English: A neighborhood watch sign attached to a door. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Members of a neighborhood watch will observe and be aware to prevent crime in the community, they may even choose to utilize eVerify. The watch scheme will improve the quality of life for everyone who resides in the area. When citizens see something suspicious they report it, hence the areas crime rate falls.

Experts feels the neighborhood watch schemes and systems such as eVerify are effective, in fact, they say the schemes prevent people from committing crime. Successful town watch schemes and sites such as eVerify have prevented former criminals from re-offending.

The Sex Offender Watch

You and your fellow neighbors should be aware of vandalism and crime, however, you should also know if any registered sex offenders live in your area. Anyone who is convicted of a sexual crime is required to sign the local sex-offenders register. Instant online background checks can be conducted at eVerify.

A low risk sex offender may only need to remain on the register for a short time, whereas a high-risk offender will remain on the register for the rest of their life. The crime reports are widely available on eVerify so you and your neighbors will know who lives and who moves into the community.

It is vital to keep family and friends safe and secure. Examine your neighborhood closely and you will be aware of these factors. Form a neighborhood watch scheme to keep all members of the community safe at all times. If in doubt, check with eVerify.

Campuses Included In Sex Offenders Search

Campus Sex Offenders Search Now Available

For nearly twenty years, every state has been required to provide its residents with a database of registered sex offenders that is available for public access. Thanks to new legislation, a sex offender search in Florida will also include information on those registered offenders who in attendance at, or employed by, public and private universities and colleges. More about Campus Sex Offenders Search:

While collecting information on sex offenders at colleges has always been a task performed by officials, that information has not always been provided for public access. Despite the opinion of some that such readily available information has little effect, the legislation has been received largely with approval. Both makers and enforcers of law are firm in the belief that it is important to know of the presence of offenders on campus. The fact of sex offenders in institutes of higher learning may be nothing new, but now students and parents can actively seek information about potential risks on campus with the sex offenders search.

Campus Sex Offenders Search
English: Grove City College campus during the springtime. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Under Florida law, those who have been convicted of sex crimes are required to register. The classification can be either as an offender, if the conviction was on a lesser charge, or as a predator, if the conviction was for a life, capital, or first degree felony. The website then makes the charges, along with the offender’s name, present address, and photo, available for public knowledge. When an offender moves or decides to volunteer, enroll, or work at a university or college, the local sheriff is notified and passes the information to the state as well as the applicable college.

An old saying says that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, and this availability of knowledge can let students prepare themselves. With a sex offender search making this information obtainable by staff and students, campuses can be safer places.

Sex Offenders Search – Knowing Your Neighbor!

Sex Offenders Search – Knowing Your Neighbor!

A new law that has been recently brought into the state of Florida allows the public to know who the sex offenders are in the local area or offenders who live in their proximity – this new legislation even goes as far as allowing the public to conduct their own sex offender search if they are worried about something. Carrying out this sex offender search is perfectly acceptable and actually more common than you think – it is even possible to do it from your own home computer.

Registered Sex Offenders
Registered Sex Offenders (Photo credit: War Crimes)

By law in the state of Florida, all people who have been caught breaking the law with regards to sex crimes are required to register with the law enforcement authorities and their exact whereabouts are known at all times – it does not stop there however; the said sex offender is on a list that is made public online and his or her mugshot is taken and it accompanies the name on the list – making it plain and simple who the offender is.

A sex offender search online may seem like a controversial issue and many may argue it is going too far – but it is essential to people, especially parents who want to protect their children from possible harm in the future.

The database contains those who have been convicted of a sexual offence and those who are also deemed as sexual predators by the court. The database dates back to 1997 for offenders (whose names will remain on the list indefinitely) and from 1993 for those who are considered to be sexual predators and a possible threat to civilians.

A number of sites online will allow you to carry out this search. The searches online are simple to use and user friendly. Firstly, if you have any concerns or are simply just curious about your surroundings type in both the name of your area including your ZIP code into the search box of the sex offender search registry and hit enter.

If, indeed there are sex offenders living in your area you will be quickly given a list of names of all of those convicted and those considered potential danger. Not only will the list give you their names, but it will give you as much of a physical description as possible about the said offender; including: * The full name of the offender (including any other name that they may go by i.e. nickname)* Full address (even including a map of how to reach this location)* Mugshot photograph* Their sexual offender status (ie. offender or predator)* Sex* Age* Height* Weight* Eye colour* Distinguishable marks i.e. tattoo or scar* Offence they are accused of * Date of offenceThe list is quite thorough and gives people the right to research their neighbors well.

Remember, that this is a list of potentially dangerous people, do not under any circumstances try to take the law into your own hands – the list is there to inform you of who to avoid.

So, if you want to carry out a sex offender search you can visit the following:* FDLE site (Florida sexual offenders and predators) www.offender.fdle.state.fl.us/* City data register www.city-data.com/so/Florida.html* Sheriff online www.sheriff.org/sexualpredator

Sex Offenders Can’t Be Banned From Facebook

Banned From Facebook

An appeals court decided that sex offenders are not allowed to be banned from Facebook.

A United States appeals court has decided that a law passed in Indiana last year banning registered sex offenders from using social media sites online is not legal.

The ACLU challenged the law a year ago, but it was upheld by a judge in Indiana.  The court recognizes that social media is an important part of today’s society, and offenders online have the same needs for social media that other people do.

The ACLU argues that the law was too restrictive, and it prohibited too many activities that are protected by the First Amendment.

The way the law was written, it barred sex offenders from using online social media to look for jobs on social media sites like LinkedIn.  They also could not post on news sites.  Social media can also be used to follow religious or political figures.

The ACLU feels that existing laws protect children from sex offenders, and this new law was too restrictive without offering more protection.

The Court of Appeals agreed with the ACLU, claiming that banning sex offenders from using social media infringed on their First Amendment right of free speech.  The ruling from this higher court overturned the ruling from last year.

Another reason for the decision is that the Court recognizes that the State already has a law stating that adults can not have inappropriate communication with children, and this new law restricted the same thing and more.

Rights To Online Anonymity Given To Sex Offenders

Online Anonymity Given To Sex Offenders

In California, a bill that would remove the rights of a sex offender to have online anonymity while using email, instant messaging and social media, among other sites and service online, has been blocked by a federal judge. Judge Thelton Henderson deems Proposition 35 to be an unconstitutional bill.

The State of California has summarized the bill in question as this:

Sign, Wapello, Iowa. This was put up in reacti...
Sign, Wapello, Iowa. This was put up in reaction to Megan’s Law. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Human trafficking fines and prison sentences would be increased and the convicted human traffickers would be required to participate in the sex offenders registry. The registered sex offenders would be required to reveal all activities and identities pertaining to the Internet. It would cost the state and local governments a few million dollars to address the offenses of human trafficking. However, this cost could potentially be offset with the increase in the fines that are dedicated to the victims of the crime.

This bill was passed by a majority vote of 81% in November. However, it was blocked temporarily by the filing of a lawsuit by the ACLU and a few sex offenders.

Speaking of the bill, the ACLU stated that Proposition 35 adds penalties to the sex offenders and puts upon them new restrictions. The example given to back up this claim was that of older crimes that have nothing to do with children or the Internet. The bill would require these offenders to disclose their screen names and their Internet provider’s information. This bill hampers the offenders freedom of anonymous speech online, which infringes upon their First Amendment right to free speech.

The judge who imposed the blockage of the bill stated that while the government has a legitimate purpose in their fight of human trafficking and online sex offenses, they can not regulate a person’s right to speech in this way.

While offenders search for a clear answer of how they can exercise their right to free speech, this issue is not a cut and dry one as the response varies from state to state. In Indiana, it was decided that a social media site ban for sex offenders was lawful. While a similar case in Nebraska was dismissed.

Keeping Our Children Safe

Keeping Our Children Safe

Jacob Wetterling was an 11 year-old-boy living in a small town in Minnesota when he was abducted on October 22, 1989.  To this day, all that is known about his kidnapper is that he was a masked gunman. Due in no small part to the perseverance of his parents in lobbying for tougher legislation, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Act in 1994.  This act requires states to implement a sex offender registry or risk losing ten percent of federal funding for their state and local law enforcement programs. Many states now believe that due to loopholes in registration and an increasingly mobile population, there is a need for a private sex offender registry.

President Bush signing the Federal Funding Acc...
President Bush signing the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, September 26, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One such online registry is the Klaas Kids Foundation, formed in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of young Polly Klaas in 1993.  This site gives detailed information regarding the rules and guidelines for registration for each state, as well as providing a link to each state government’s registration website. Another valuable online resource is called Offendex.  It boasts a database of over 750,000 offenders and you can search there by state, city, name or zip code. If you plan to visit a different area, it may be worth checking out a site called Family Watchdog as it provides access to lists of offenders in all states as well.

Keeping our children safe should be a priority for all Americans. Given the scope of the problem, it certainly does not hurt to have a private sex offender registry in addition to state registries.  It is worth taking the time to investigate all resources available.