Sheriff Travis Hutchinson urges parents, “Check sex offender registry before Halloween”

Sheriff Hutchinson judging a costume contest.

Did you know according to statistics, an estimated 80% of all addresses have at least one sex offender within one mile? Forty-five percent of sexual assault victims are under twelve, and 75% of victims know their attacker. Over half of all sexual assaults occur within one mile of the victim’s home. Did you know currently there are over 170 registered sex offenders in Wayne County?

So before your children Trick-or-Treat this Halloween, the Sheriff wants parents to have real-time access to information on sex offenders in your area.

“We do our best to ensure sex offenders live where they tell us, but it is up to our citizens to utilize these online tools to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” says Sheriff Travis Hutchinson.

 While you are on the website, Sheriff Hutchinson encourages you to take one extra step and register for the site’s free e-mail alerts. “You can enter your home, school, grandparents’ addresses to receive real-time e-mail notifications any time an offender moves within one mile of any address you register,”

  

If you aren’t planning on Trick-or-Treating in your own neighborhood, but will be in a different neighborhood, register that address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid,” The alerts are in real-time and sent out via email as soon as an offender has registered with the Sheriff’s Office or other police department.

There is no cost of this service to the public, and no limit to the number of addresses you can register. Your email address and physical addresses are all confidential.

With these resources available, Sheriff Hutchinson says parents can feel confident that they are armed with the necessary tools to help keep their children safe this Halloween.