Get Alerts When Predators Move into the Neighborhood

Do you have any idea how many registered sex offenders live or work in your neighborhood? Most of the time we hear about sexual predators using social networks to lure innocent victims, but have you ever proactively checked to see if registered sex offenders live close to schools your children attend or places you frequent?

One site to bookmark is familywatchdog.us. The site uses colorful dots on a map to pinpoint the exact locations where registered sex offenders work or live in your area. Each color-coded dot represents the type of sex offender: yellow squares represent convicted rapists, blue ones represent those convicted of sexual battery, and red ones represent sex offenders convicted of abusing children. If you click on a dot, you're also able to pull up the offender's picture, address, name, and type of conviction.

According to statistics on the site, California alone has over 60,000 registered offenders, followed by Texas and Florida who have over 40,000 registered sex offenders living in their state. Currently, you can get free weekly email notifications of any offenders moving approximately one mile from the area that you live in, and Texually reports that Family Watch Dog will start offering mobile phone alerts starting today. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

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