Staying Safe from Convicted Sex Offenders

August 3, 2005

With recent news of sex offenders like Joseph Duncan, community awareness is a serious issue being looked at all over the country.So how well do you know your neighborhood? Are you aware of how many sex offenders live on your block?Currently in our area, nearly 133 people are registered as sex offenders. So what can you do to make sure your family is safe? Many say awareness and education are the biggest keys to keeping your kids away from predators.Ron Baune has been working as a parole officer in the area for four and a half years. His job is to make sure sex offenders obey the rules when it comes to keeping the community safe.Baune said, “Part of the misconceptions are that you can recognize them walking down the street. They look just like you and me, like any person wandering the street.”Other places include malls, the greenbelt and libraries.Offenders have other strict guidelines they must follow. A new policy in the area requires that offenders cannot live within a three-block radius of schools, churches and parks.So what can you do to stay safe? A new mapping system called mapsexoffenders.com currently has sex offenders listed in 34 states. By simply adding your street address, city, state and zip code, a blue balloon will show where you live while red balloons show descriptions of sex offenders living near and around your home.Sandi Francis is psychiatric practitioner on a quest to help keep kids safe.Francis said, “Kids have to be well educated number one. We need to supervise children. Safety words should be used that only people that know that word would be family members.” Other recommendations Francis suggests is having a game plan. Making sure kids use a familiar route to and from school that all family members now about.In an effort to promote safety in our area, the Idaho Falls Police will be holding their 5th annual Community Night Out on the greenbelt next Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.mapsexoffenders.com/.