Sex Offenders Need Watching
Several months ago, Spokane Police detectives Jerry Poindexter and Jerry Keller visited an apartment complex where a registered sex offender lived. They were handing out fliers and informing residents about the man’s presence.
Two parents thanked the men profusely. They told the detectives: “He volunteered to baby-sit our children this coming weekend!”
That day, the two Jerrys felt good about their job. It can be a thankless one. The detectives work almost full-time making certain Spokane’s 600-plus registered sex offenders live at the addresses they’ve given police. And they inform and educate citizens when a registered sex offender moves into a neighborhood. The two detectives also meet with neighbors and talk with them about their fears and concerns.
They hand out a flier that lists some good tips on how a neighborhood should deal with the disturbing news that a sex offender has moved in. “Tell your children to walk away if the sex offender tries to talk to them and to tell you about the contact. … The worst thing parents can do is to intimidate or harass the offender.”
At times, the job can be grueling, depressing and frustrating, but the men have perhaps the most important law enforcement task in our community. They see firsthand how sex crimes against children can devastate a child, a family, an entire community.
Numerous studies have shown that sexually molested children are at risk for serious problems as they grow older. Teenage pregnancy and truancy. Drug, alcohol and sexual addictions. Unhealthy relationships. Eating disorders. And in some cases, those abused grow up to sexually abuse others.
Studies have also shown that adults who prey on children are hard to rehabilitate. Pedophiles cannot be “cured” but like alcoholics must work on their problem day by day. Sex offenders are at high risk to re-offend and they can claim an astonishingly high number of victims. An Emory University study revealed that the 403 pedophiles interviewed had molested more than 67,000 children!
This is one crime that demands us all to be vigilant. If a family member with young children is dating or living with a convicted sex offender, don’t be easily assured that the person no longer poses a threat. Educate yourself about pedophilia. Call the detectives with your questions.
Don’t shy away from being a watchdog for the best cause around - the physical and mental health of our children.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board