Media Should Be Alerted To Sex Offenders
Media should be alerted to sex offenders The Saratogian 11/11/2005 The Saratoga Springs Police Department is asking to hear from certain segments of the community - so-called "vulnerable entities" - that would like to be alerted when registered sex offenders move into the city. These "vulnerable entities" are those deemed by state law to be prime prey for offenders. They include schools, day care centers, preschools, places of worship, nursing homes, civic associations, libraries, bus transportation companies, superintendents of parks and neighborhood watch groups. Conspicuously missing from those to be informed are the media. How absurd and how sad. The groups mentioned above should certainly be informed, but they don't encompass the majority of the public. There is no better "neighborhood watch" than the local newspaper. No town crier spreads the word more broadly and more locally than the media. By opting to follow the most narrow definition of public notification, the police are leaving much of the community at risk. When it comes to sex offenders, everyone is at risk: female, male, young, old, physically disabled, developmentally challenged. If you have a pulse, you're at risk. Ron Kim, commissioner-elect of the city's Public Safety Department, should put this issue at the top of his to-do list when he takes office, making this a directive to city police. And state legislators should reword the law, making it unquestionably clear that police can notify the public through the media. The city police are intent on following the letter of the law, and they are adamant that the "vulnerable entities" phrase does not allow them to pass information to the press. But District Attorney Jim Murphy, head of law enforcement for Saratoga County, says there's no legal reason why the media can't be notified. "It's hard to believe anyone debates this," he said. "When there's an event, an announcement, a fundraiser or news of any kind, it goes to the media. Why not news about sex offenders? The media are best at notifying and representing all of the vulnerable populations." Murphy said he would like to see the notices "televised, broadcast and in all the papers. "Not everyone has a computer or belongs to a Neighborhood Watch," he said. "It's an outrage to me that some people have to walk around ignorant. This is not about sex offenders' rights; it's about the right of innocent people to go about their lives free from fear." When it comes to notification, more is clearly better. Parents of children in the school district are not the only ones who need, want or deserve to know when convicted pedophiles or rapists are in their neighborhood or workplace. People have a right to know what risks they face. The Saratogian monitors the state Sex Offender Registry and publishes additions to it, but the registry only lists the highest risk offenders. Thankfully, someone always makes an effort to provide the paper with other warnings from the city school district so they can be passed on to readers. But folks in other districts are on their own. We are all vulnerable. Everyone should be notified, and the media are best equipped to do so. http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/AdWindow.asp?bid=37951&brd=1169&pag=461&adlocation=999