Website maps sex offender's addresses
(Columbia) Aug. 4, 2005 - There are more than 8,000 registered sex offenders in South Carolina. But where are they?
Now there is a website that shows you where they live. It's called MapSexOffenders.com.
You type an address, city and zip code. It could be your home, workplace or child's school.
A Google map comes up with red dots for registered sex offenders in that neighborhood. Click on the dot to see the person's picture, address, and details from the State Sex Offender Registry on their crime.
We set out to the Richland County Library to ask people to check out the website, type in their address, and see who may be living near them.
Phillip Brown of Olympia finds a few sex offenders within a two block area, "It's a lot closer than you expect, people down the street you didn't know. You probably see them day in day out and you never knew anything about it."
Patricia Gregg, with daughter Jayla, finds a half dozen sex offenders within a mile of her Columbia home, one convicted of a lewd act on a child. Frightening, she says, "The idea he could be prowling the neighborhood, just walking by, someone looking to commit this act again."
A Utah internet company called Orbizon launched the site in July, they say, to inform communities.
But at SLED's crime information center, Celeste Proffit worries the site might not be updated enough. SLED's information is updated daily, "Any information is good, but our information is gathered yearly, they're required to come in and register, confirming addresses, we're working toward that."
SLED is working to link South Carolina to the National Sex Offender registry by January.
Reported by Jennifer Miskewicz
Posted 7:25pm by Chantelle Janelle
Now there is a website that shows you where they live. It's called MapSexOffenders.com.
You type an address, city and zip code. It could be your home, workplace or child's school.
A Google map comes up with red dots for registered sex offenders in that neighborhood. Click on the dot to see the person's picture, address, and details from the State Sex Offender Registry on their crime.
We set out to the Richland County Library to ask people to check out the website, type in their address, and see who may be living near them.
Phillip Brown of Olympia finds a few sex offenders within a two block area, "It's a lot closer than you expect, people down the street you didn't know. You probably see them day in day out and you never knew anything about it."
Patricia Gregg, with daughter Jayla, finds a half dozen sex offenders within a mile of her Columbia home, one convicted of a lewd act on a child. Frightening, she says, "The idea he could be prowling the neighborhood, just walking by, someone looking to commit this act again."
A Utah internet company called Orbizon launched the site in July, they say, to inform communities.
But at SLED's crime information center, Celeste Proffit worries the site might not be updated enough. SLED's information is updated daily, "Any information is good, but our information is gathered yearly, they're required to come in and register, confirming addresses, we're working toward that."
SLED is working to link South Carolina to the National Sex Offender registry by January.
Reported by Jennifer Miskewicz
Posted 7:25pm by Chantelle Janelle
posted by Richy at 10:24 AM
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