This site is remakable. Type in a home address, and you can see where all the registered sex offenders are in and around your neighborhood. If you think there aren't any around your neighborhood, guess again. If you think there aren't any women in the list, guess again.
When you click on one of the colored dots, a picture of the offender pops up and details about the crime(s) are given.
http://www.familywatchdog.us
This site was developed by John Walsh from America's Most Wanted.
- Bill
Useful sex offender information
Moderator: Available
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
-
Gene DeMambro
- Posts: 1684
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 1998 6:01 am
- Location: Weymouth, MA US of A
Hmmmm....is it remarkable or an invasion of privacy???
***
Suspected killer accessed sex offender list Last updated Apr 18 2006 04:56 PM ADT
CBC News
An online sex offender registry remains the only connection between a Cape Breton man and the two men he's believed to have shot to death.
Investigators in Maine say Stephen Marshall, 20, had logged on to 34 individual names on the state-run registry, which provides addresses and conviction data of offenders.
"We know that Marshall logged on and got specific information on [34] individuals, two of which were the victims," said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine state police.
Joseph Gray, 57, of Milo, and William Elliott, 24, of Corinth, were found shot to death in their homes, north of Bangor, Sunday morning.
McCausland said it's still a mystery why Marshall looked at the website.
"As to what his motives were, what he intended to do, unfortunately we don't have answers to that. But we're trying to get them," he said.
Investigators are asking Marshall's friends and family if they know of anything that might have triggered something in the young man, including the possibility he was a victim of sexual abuse.
"So far, nothing," said McCausland.
Investigators also hope a laptop computer Marshall was carrying contains some answers. Forensic work on that is expected to begin in the next few days.
Police in Nova Scotia said Marshall had no previous run-ins with the law.
Emma Tizzard, whose daughter worked with Marshall at a restaurant in North Sydney, said people who knew him are reeling from the news.
"They're devastated. They've all been crying all morning. My daughter, when she heard it on the news, she broke down right away. He seemed like a very kind, gentle person," Tizzard said.
Marshall attended elementary school in Louisbourg and junior high in North Sydney. He moved to Idaho to spend time with his father, then came back to Cape Breton when he was 17.
Last Thursday, Marshall travelled to Houlton, Maine, to visit his father.
"He seemed fine," said Ralph Marshall, adding the situation was "just unbelievable."
Maine police say Marshall disappeared from Houlton sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, with his father's white pickup truck and three guns.
Police began looking for the young man after the truck was spotted by Elliott's girlfriend leaving the scene of his slaying.
"She witnessed the shooting, she heard the shots. She followed Marshall out into the yard and then she got the vehicle description," McCausland said. "But most importantly, she got the licence plate number."
The pickup was found abandoned near Bangor but a tip led police to search for Marshall on a bus travelling to Boston.
David Procopio, with the Suffolk County District Attorney's office that covers the Boston area, said Marshall was sitting 13 rows behind the driver on the Greyhound bus when "police boarded the bus and they asked [the driver] to turn on the overhead dome lights."
That's when Marshall grabbed a .45-calibre handgun and fired a single shot that went through his head and out the window.
Five other passengers were evaluated at a Boston hospital because they had blood spattered on them, said Procopio. They were fine and they were released.
Emergency workers found another weapon on Marshall's body, a .22-calibre handgun. He had been carrying a backpack, a laptop computer and personal papers, including his passport.
A routine autopsy is being conducted.
Funeral services for Stephen Marshall are expected to take place next week.
***
Suspected killer accessed sex offender list Last updated Apr 18 2006 04:56 PM ADT
CBC News
An online sex offender registry remains the only connection between a Cape Breton man and the two men he's believed to have shot to death.
Investigators in Maine say Stephen Marshall, 20, had logged on to 34 individual names on the state-run registry, which provides addresses and conviction data of offenders.
"We know that Marshall logged on and got specific information on [34] individuals, two of which were the victims," said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine state police.
Joseph Gray, 57, of Milo, and William Elliott, 24, of Corinth, were found shot to death in their homes, north of Bangor, Sunday morning.
McCausland said it's still a mystery why Marshall looked at the website.
"As to what his motives were, what he intended to do, unfortunately we don't have answers to that. But we're trying to get them," he said.
Investigators are asking Marshall's friends and family if they know of anything that might have triggered something in the young man, including the possibility he was a victim of sexual abuse.
"So far, nothing," said McCausland.
Investigators also hope a laptop computer Marshall was carrying contains some answers. Forensic work on that is expected to begin in the next few days.
Police in Nova Scotia said Marshall had no previous run-ins with the law.
Emma Tizzard, whose daughter worked with Marshall at a restaurant in North Sydney, said people who knew him are reeling from the news.
"They're devastated. They've all been crying all morning. My daughter, when she heard it on the news, she broke down right away. He seemed like a very kind, gentle person," Tizzard said.
Marshall attended elementary school in Louisbourg and junior high in North Sydney. He moved to Idaho to spend time with his father, then came back to Cape Breton when he was 17.
Last Thursday, Marshall travelled to Houlton, Maine, to visit his father.
"He seemed fine," said Ralph Marshall, adding the situation was "just unbelievable."
Maine police say Marshall disappeared from Houlton sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, with his father's white pickup truck and three guns.
Police began looking for the young man after the truck was spotted by Elliott's girlfriend leaving the scene of his slaying.
"She witnessed the shooting, she heard the shots. She followed Marshall out into the yard and then she got the vehicle description," McCausland said. "But most importantly, she got the licence plate number."
The pickup was found abandoned near Bangor but a tip led police to search for Marshall on a bus travelling to Boston.
David Procopio, with the Suffolk County District Attorney's office that covers the Boston area, said Marshall was sitting 13 rows behind the driver on the Greyhound bus when "police boarded the bus and they asked [the driver] to turn on the overhead dome lights."
That's when Marshall grabbed a .45-calibre handgun and fired a single shot that went through his head and out the window.
Five other passengers were evaluated at a Boston hospital because they had blood spattered on them, said Procopio. They were fine and they were released.
Emergency workers found another weapon on Marshall's body, a .22-calibre handgun. He had been carrying a backpack, a laptop computer and personal papers, including his passport.
A routine autopsy is being conducted.
Funeral services for Stephen Marshall are expected to take place next week.
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
It's a cost/benefit thing, Mary.
I figure a person gives up their right to privacy once they cross the line and commit a sex offense. And with this particular brand of crime, the rate of recidivism is outrageously high. With that in mind, in my book it's unconscionable not releasing this information to the public.
As I see it, I have a duty to keep my children safe. And the government - supported by my tax dollars - has a duty to disclose vital information in its possession that can help me execute that obligation.
This isn't like disclosing confidential medical information. This is the disclosure of illegal acts committed by these people - acts that are significantly likely to be repeated.
Nevertheless, this doesn't excuse the anecdote you posted. But that's one anecdote vs. pontentially many more avoided criminal acts. I shed no tears for any inconvenience brought upon them by this exposure, as it is of their own doing.
Better to have me keep an eye on my neighbor than to consider what would happen if any of them touched my babies...
- Bill
I figure a person gives up their right to privacy once they cross the line and commit a sex offense. And with this particular brand of crime, the rate of recidivism is outrageously high. With that in mind, in my book it's unconscionable not releasing this information to the public.
As I see it, I have a duty to keep my children safe. And the government - supported by my tax dollars - has a duty to disclose vital information in its possession that can help me execute that obligation.
This isn't like disclosing confidential medical information. This is the disclosure of illegal acts committed by these people - acts that are significantly likely to be repeated.
Nevertheless, this doesn't excuse the anecdote you posted. But that's one anecdote vs. pontentially many more avoided criminal acts. I shed no tears for any inconvenience brought upon them by this exposure, as it is of their own doing.
Better to have me keep an eye on my neighbor than to consider what would happen if any of them touched my babies...
- Bill
How does the information on the register help you do that you don't already do as a responsible parent in performing your duty of keeping your children safe? As a parent you should know that there are monsters out there everywhere. Does pinpointing where they live make your children safe or give you a secret weapon against them? Does disclosing their location let you sleep better at night (whether they live in the next state, country or next door?) (The "you" is a general term here)As I see it, I have a duty to keep my children safe. And the government - supported by my tax dollars - has a duty to disclose vital information in its possession that can help me execute that obligation.
I'd be interested to know what people think about this. I'm twisted inside about...
It's the modern-day scarlet letter.
Sex offenders are the criminals everyone loves to hate, and for good reason. Recidivism is high and sex offenses can be second only to murder in horror. But I personally don't think a blanket program of indefinite public shame is constructive or warranted. On a case by case basis, perhaps, but not in all.I don't think that every sex offense signifies an act of horrific brutality.
Bill may disagree here, but I don't think a 16 year old who has consentual sex with a 15.9 year should be subject to a bombardment of public shame forever. Nor should the indiscreet use of a household appliance on one's own person be grounds for labeling one a sexual predator. In some places it's still illegal to engage in certain acts even with another consenting adult. Is this the kind of scenario that we want to sweep under the rug as the cost of safety? I just hate to think that people end up on "look at all these horrible people near you!!!" websites because of legitimate acts or even acts that may be wrong but not deserving of nearly such an extreme response.
Then again, I don't know the specifics of the laws. For all I know my concerns are covered. Does it time out? Does it apply in all cases, or only some? What are the criteria?
Sex offenders are the criminals everyone loves to hate, and for good reason. Recidivism is high and sex offenses can be second only to murder in horror. But I personally don't think a blanket program of indefinite public shame is constructive or warranted. On a case by case basis, perhaps, but not in all.I don't think that every sex offense signifies an act of horrific brutality.
Bill may disagree here, but I don't think a 16 year old who has consentual sex with a 15.9 year should be subject to a bombardment of public shame forever. Nor should the indiscreet use of a household appliance on one's own person be grounds for labeling one a sexual predator. In some places it's still illegal to engage in certain acts even with another consenting adult. Is this the kind of scenario that we want to sweep under the rug as the cost of safety? I just hate to think that people end up on "look at all these horrible people near you!!!" websites because of legitimate acts or even acts that may be wrong but not deserving of nearly such an extreme response.
Then again, I don't know the specifics of the laws. For all I know my concerns are covered. Does it time out? Does it apply in all cases, or only some? What are the criteria?
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Good comments, Justin.
* One of these people may offer to babysit my kids, or take them out for pizza. Don't I have a right to easy background information pertinent to their qualifications as a caregiver? How often do you (the general "you") do a background check on a neighbor who had charge of your kids? Shouldn't it be EVERY time? How practical is that without a little bit of help?
* My kids like to ride their bikes in my single entrance neighborhood. As safe as it is where I live, on occasion some whacko has hassled my kids from his/her truck or car. This in fact happened in the last month. I'd like to be able to go online and run through a few pictures to see if my kids recognize any of them when such an event occurs.
* "Profiling" by police and by ordinary citizens happens all the time. This to me is a LOT more ethical than profiling, and orders of magnitude more effective.
The way I see it is as such. This is far from perfect, but it's better than the alternative - no information at all. Start with something, and go from there.
- Bill
It makes my children saf-er.Mary wrote:
Does pinpointing where they live make your children safe or give you a secret weapon against them?
* One of these people may offer to babysit my kids, or take them out for pizza. Don't I have a right to easy background information pertinent to their qualifications as a caregiver? How often do you (the general "you") do a background check on a neighbor who had charge of your kids? Shouldn't it be EVERY time? How practical is that without a little bit of help?
* My kids like to ride their bikes in my single entrance neighborhood. As safe as it is where I live, on occasion some whacko has hassled my kids from his/her truck or car. This in fact happened in the last month. I'd like to be able to go online and run through a few pictures to see if my kids recognize any of them when such an event occurs.
* "Profiling" by police and by ordinary citizens happens all the time. This to me is a LOT more ethical than profiling, and orders of magnitude more effective.
The way I see it is as such. This is far from perfect, but it's better than the alternative - no information at all. Start with something, and go from there.
- Bill
I don't really think you do, no. You have a right to ask them for background information and they have a right to give it to you or refuse. And you have a right to hire them or not. But you don't have a right to whatever you deem relevant without permission. How do you judge what's pertinent to their qualifications as a caregiver? What about social ideology? I'm not pleased with the idea of my kids being babysat by a neonazi, but I have no problem with a convicted sodomite doing so. That doesn't mean I think I have a right to easy access of another person's social affiliations.Bill Glasheen wrote: Don't I have a right to easy background information pertinent to their qualifications as a caregiver?
And no, I don't think this is apples and oranges. Is it anybody's business if someone gets arrested for consentual sodomy? I say no, and I don't think anyone has a right to easy access to that fact, though as a result of the government's involvement there does need to be some form of public access. But that's more for holding the government accountable than the individual.
I don't see those as the alternatives. You're not stuck with no information at all just because there's no national registry.The way I see it is as such. This is far from perfect, but it's better than the alternative - no information at all. Start with something, and go from there.
I would ask for references, do a reference check, and make sure the baby-sitter has taken a course (yes, there are courses offered).One of these people may offer to babysit my kids
Of course sexual predators lurk everywhere - most are not on a registry...they can be relatives, they can be your neighbours....they can take any form.
Make yourself smart. Make your kids smart. That should start way before you even go to the registry page!
-
Tom Faigle
- Posts: 130
- Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 6:01 am
- Location: Fairfax, VA, USA
UMMMMMM.
I just did a check and we live in a VERY SMALL community. A development of about 100 or so townhouses. And looking at this map showed an offender in our neighborhood. Now, I'm not big on over reacting, and I'm not sure what to say. All I can say is that I'm shocked. (probably shouldn't be)
My SO is a very tiny woman 5'4" and about 100lbs. (my 10 year old could level her with a bear hug).
Any comments/suggestions/ thoughts.
TF
I just did a check and we live in a VERY SMALL community. A development of about 100 or so townhouses. And looking at this map showed an offender in our neighborhood. Now, I'm not big on over reacting, and I'm not sure what to say. All I can say is that I'm shocked. (probably shouldn't be)
My SO is a very tiny woman 5'4" and about 100lbs. (my 10 year old could level her with a bear hug).
Any comments/suggestions/ thoughts.
TF
-
benzocaine
- Posts: 2107
- Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 12:20 pm
- Location: St. Thomas
-
Stryke
Not a secret weapon just a weapon , to be forewarned is forearmedDoes pinpointing where they live make your children safe or give you a secret weapon against them?
and yes it makes kids safer .
I think a terrible burden for the offenders to be known .
I think it`s a tiny thing compared to the burden there victims suffer .
An ex of mine was abused(as a child) and when I found out who it was I wanted to tear the $^%^^&$ limb from limb , the courts dealt with the matter but justice was not served IMHO . The only true punishment was the public knowledge of his behaviour .
In my mind the individual should be shunned and ostracised from being anywhere near children , and if such things help so be it .
the times of sweeping this crap under the carpet have to go , we all know how prevelant abuse of all kinds is and how it was tolerated in silence in many cases , I see nothing wrong with information of public record being catalouged and availible .
I would feel the same of released killers etc etc .
self responsiblity above all else , do the crime live with the consequence , or else shuffle of this mortal coil .
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Mary and Justin
I'm a bit surprised about your response about background checks. I don't take it personally; I just don't understand your perspective.
For what it's worth, If a daycare center had not done a thorough background check on each and every person who works on their premises - including the janitors - then they would be vulnerable to a very, very nasty civil lawsuit should a former offender end up on their payroll and then victimize a child there. The same is true for nursing homes and other institutions (even Uechi kiddie classes) where vulnerable individuals are put under the care of others.
This may be different in Canada, Mary. I cannot speak for the laws of your country.
Crimes commited as adults pretty much are a matter of public record. Organizing such information into a registry is nothing more than work, and a service some seem to appreciate. It most definitely is an inconvenience for the former offenders, but then they made choices which put them in that predicament.
This really isn't a lot different than having to pay higher car insurance because you have a few dings on your credit history. Our behavior is tracked by others, and used by those who can show that such behavior is highly predictive of future behavior in some way. Some behavior is random; some is not. Where it is not and the pertinent information is publically available, then all bets are off.
I also happen to think in this instance it is not just highly ethical. I think we as a society are negligent when we don't track the behavior of those who we know by their own actions are likely to victimize others.
Understand though that I am not advocating anyone breaking any laws, or taking away any freedoms that said individuals are entitled to under the current laws.
- Bill
I'm a bit surprised about your response about background checks. I don't take it personally; I just don't understand your perspective.
For what it's worth, If a daycare center had not done a thorough background check on each and every person who works on their premises - including the janitors - then they would be vulnerable to a very, very nasty civil lawsuit should a former offender end up on their payroll and then victimize a child there. The same is true for nursing homes and other institutions (even Uechi kiddie classes) where vulnerable individuals are put under the care of others.
This may be different in Canada, Mary. I cannot speak for the laws of your country.
Crimes commited as adults pretty much are a matter of public record. Organizing such information into a registry is nothing more than work, and a service some seem to appreciate. It most definitely is an inconvenience for the former offenders, but then they made choices which put them in that predicament.
This really isn't a lot different than having to pay higher car insurance because you have a few dings on your credit history. Our behavior is tracked by others, and used by those who can show that such behavior is highly predictive of future behavior in some way. Some behavior is random; some is not. Where it is not and the pertinent information is publically available, then all bets are off.
I also happen to think in this instance it is not just highly ethical. I think we as a society are negligent when we don't track the behavior of those who we know by their own actions are likely to victimize others.
Understand though that I am not advocating anyone breaking any laws, or taking away any freedoms that said individuals are entitled to under the current laws.
- Bill
Last edited by Bill Glasheen on Thu May 04, 2006 1:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Whoa!!!
I'm all for background checks. I'm all for making environments safe for children AND adults.
My first post on this thread was an example of vigilantism.
My second asked questions - not to be sarcastic but to see what people think.
My third agreed in checking out who spends time with the kiddies.
I'm pretty sure we're on the same page here Bill.
And I have more questions:
What do you do if the next door neighbour is registered?
Do you pay him/her a little visit?
What do you tell your kids?
Should sex offenders wear tracking devices?
Should all major crime committers wear tracking devices?
Canada has extensive privacy laws Bill. There are proper channels to do legimate background checks. I'm all for that.
I watched Dateline last night - a group called Perverted Justice turning the tables on sexual predators and luring them right into jail. I say bring it on!!! It was disturbing to watch bank managers, military personnel and even teachers come to an abandoned house thinking they were going to have sex with 13/14 years olds. When caught they all said they had just come over to talk or watch a movie. Ya, and I just fell off the turnip truck yesterday. If you get to see the show I suggest you watch it with your kids. Show them what a sexual predator looks like....they're very difficult to identify. Some of these guys were "the guy next door", the business man, the gym teacher....I'm glad they were caught.
I hope that clarifies my response.
Mary
I'm all for background checks. I'm all for making environments safe for children AND adults.
My first post on this thread was an example of vigilantism.
My second asked questions - not to be sarcastic but to see what people think.
My third agreed in checking out who spends time with the kiddies.
I'm pretty sure we're on the same page here Bill.
And I have more questions:
What do you do if the next door neighbour is registered?
Do you pay him/her a little visit?
What do you tell your kids?
Should sex offenders wear tracking devices?
Should all major crime committers wear tracking devices?
Canada has extensive privacy laws Bill. There are proper channels to do legimate background checks. I'm all for that.
I watched Dateline last night - a group called Perverted Justice turning the tables on sexual predators and luring them right into jail. I say bring it on!!! It was disturbing to watch bank managers, military personnel and even teachers come to an abandoned house thinking they were going to have sex with 13/14 years olds. When caught they all said they had just come over to talk or watch a movie. Ya, and I just fell off the turnip truck yesterday. If you get to see the show I suggest you watch it with your kids. Show them what a sexual predator looks like....they're very difficult to identify. Some of these guys were "the guy next door", the business man, the gym teacher....I'm glad they were caught.
I hope that clarifies my response.
Mary
-
benzocaine
- Posts: 2107
- Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 12:20 pm
- Location: St. Thomas
What do you do if the next door neighbour is registered?
Visit person and let them know you know, and that if they so much as look at my kid they will vanish from the face of the earth. (his word against mine... I never said that
)
Do you pay him/her a little visit? see previous
What do you tell your kids? Mr so and so is a bad person. Never talk to him... ever. Tell Daddy if Mr. so and so ever talks to you, if he does I'd call the police and say the sex ofender is trying to befriend my child.
Should sex offenders wear tracking devices?
Yes.
Should all major crime committers wear tracking devices? They should remain in jail.
Visit person and let them know you know, and that if they so much as look at my kid they will vanish from the face of the earth. (his word against mine... I never said that
)Do you pay him/her a little visit? see previous
What do you tell your kids? Mr so and so is a bad person. Never talk to him... ever. Tell Daddy if Mr. so and so ever talks to you, if he does I'd call the police and say the sex ofender is trying to befriend my child.
Should sex offenders wear tracking devices?
Yes.
Should all major crime committers wear tracking devices? They should remain in jail.
