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Old 09-12-2012, 11:58 AM
 
Location: The Hall of Justice
25,901 posts, read 42,602,779 times
Reputation: 42767

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Billy_J View Post
I think it is about psychology - How people watch TV and get to where they think extreme danger may exist when it reality there may be little or no danger.

But "people" do this to themselves. I just read a book written by a couple of reporters. They said that news stories which are sensationalized are what sells and gets the ratings. People *want* to watch this stuff!

It is our society!
Okay, but we have other threads for more general "stranger danger" discussions, like this one:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/paren...ryone-out.html

The OP is asking for advice about a real scenario.

 
Old 09-12-2012, 12:02 PM
 
1,677 posts, read 2,481,179 times
Reputation: 5511
The people who may purchase this home have access to the same information you did. And most people, when making a large investment like a home, have done their homework and research and know exactly what kind of neighborhood they're moving into. I'm pretty sure a realtor will disclose what they are legally required to, but for information that is the purchaser's responsibility to look into, they're not going to. And if a neighbor approached me with, "do you know there's a sex offender down the street?" I would think that neighbor had some type of personal reason for telling me, such as this person molested HER children, or some other kind of personal knowledge about the crime. If this neighbor had only found this info on the internet, I would quickly dismiss her as a busybody. As pointed out above, "sex offender" has such a broad meaning, and any parent with any brains would be reasonably cautious around ANYONE, whether on a registry or not.
 
Old 09-12-2012, 03:12 PM
 
834 posts, read 2,678,015 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skatergirl View Post
I live in an urban community and there are a lot of tear downs with new, big houses going up. Most of those big houses are bought by families in this area. At the other end of my long street, which is very long and broken by a large street that intersects (so it's not very near me or my kids) there is a registered sex offender. The details say he had possession of child pornography.

I do these sex offender registry checks every few months as a mother and started doing them a decade ago as we moved around a lot and the info was useful. So, ff to the dilemma...the latest tear down is right next to the sex offender. The tear down property was bought by a large builder in the area so my fear is that a family may likely be looking at the new house once it's on the market.

I feel so compelled to do something and cannot just turn my back saying it's not my business. Can you imagine buying a home for your new family to later find out you live next to a pedophile? I was thinking that once the home is build I could have a dialogue with the realtor so they are well aware of the man and then put the onus on them for full disclosure. Does anyone else have another angle for me to consider in order to help keep a family from moving there--or at least warning them beforehand? Thanks.
House hunting homework is not only about the house itself and it's price. Anyone searching in a new neighborhood needs to know who the neighbors are, have there been any flooding in the past, and yes, go to the registry and check out child offenders.
 
Old 09-12-2012, 05:45 PM
 
Location: The Other California
4,254 posts, read 5,590,744 times
Reputation: 1552
Personally, if the neighbor has been convicted for child pornography and you know that a family with children is considering the house, I think you should approach the family directly before they close the deal. I would certainly want to know if it were me and my family moving next door.

We recently moved to a house with a sex offender about a block and a half away. He's the only one in the neighborhood. The Megan's Law website has erroneous information at that location - the sex offender listed actually lives in another city on a street with the same name - so I called the local PD. I was told that yes, there is a "registrant" living there, but it isn't the person listed on the site, and for some reason his crime is not public information. She couldn't tell me his name or his offense. I asked if she could simply tell me whether his crime was against a child, and she couldn't tell me that either. After talking with some neighbors, who raised their children across the street and felt the neighborhood was completely safe, and after looking at crime maps which confirmed their beliefs, we decided to make the move.

But I still keep an eye on that house and the people who come and go.
 
Old 09-12-2012, 11:59 PM
 
Location: California
37,083 posts, read 42,062,039 times
Reputation: 34924
So glad I didn't have to worry about this when I bought my house. I know people think it's good info to have but sometimes it just adds unnecessary worry.

Yes, I know where "Megans Law" came from but I don't know if a website would have helped her or if it's helped anyone for that matter. The scariest people are the ones who aren't on a list and living on your block.
 
Old 09-13-2012, 07:03 AM
 
1,677 posts, read 2,481,179 times
Reputation: 5511
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
So glad I didn't have to worry about this when I bought my house. I know people think it's good info to have but sometimes it just adds unnecessary worry.

Yes, I know where "Megans Law" came from but I don't know if a website would have helped her or if it's helped anyone for that matter. The scariest people are the ones who aren't on a list and living on your block.
Exactly my thoughts. While you're stressing out about the "sex offender" on the registry that is really on there for having sex with his 16yo girlfriend when he was 18, the "real" sex offender may not be on a registry and living next door to you. Reasonable precautions are all anyone can do, registry or not.

And I do know that some real dangerous predators ARE on the registry as well. Those are the ones I want to know about. But something as ambiguous as "child pornography" doesn't say much. How many images? Were they small children, or teenage, adult looking girls? Did he happen to stumble across something on the internet, did he take the pictures himself, was he part of a child pornography ring? Are neighborhood children actually at risk of harm?

I think the homeowners, whoever they might be, will have asked these questions beforehand and decided if it was worth it to them to go ahead and by the house. And they might resent being questioned about their choice.
 
Old 09-13-2012, 06:46 PM
 
Location: Michigan
12,711 posts, read 13,447,502 times
Reputation: 4185
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skatergirl View Post
Can you imagine buying a home for your new family to later find out you live next to a pedophile?
I've lived next to sexual offenders of various types for much of my life. Not one of them has created the slightest problem for my or my family.
 
Old 09-14-2012, 10:56 AM
SXN
 
350 posts, read 1,286,768 times
Reputation: 295
I think it's the responsibility of the buyer to do their own homework not up to you. I found my potential dream home months ago, only to be crushed when I found out an offendor lived a few doors down. Realtors should also provide guidance if they're being used. Some of the literature they gave me told me to search the registry.
 
Old 09-15-2012, 08:57 AM
 
Location: Missouri
6,044 posts, read 24,046,172 times
Reputation: 5182
I also agree that it is a buyer's responsibility to do the research before purchasing a home. People need to take responsibility for their own lives. I don't think it is the real estate agent's responsibility, although I would applaud any agent who takes the time to educate their clients about ways to research neighborhoods for sex offenders. To the OP, I don't think it is your business to do anything other than encourage people to do their homework before committing to live someplace. You don't know anything about the offender and to take action against him (or her) could be construed as harassment.

You can check out a neighborhood for registered offenders here:
National Sex Offender Registry - Family Watchdog
 
Old 09-17-2012, 07:09 PM
 
47,525 posts, read 69,531,356 times
Reputation: 22472
I tend to agree that probably and hopefully any family buying a house would check for child sexual predators in the neighborhood before closing the deal.

But if a family with young children should move in, I would think it would be best to let them know so they can take any precautions. Pedophiles simply cannot be reformed. If they are sexually attracted to small children, no child is safe near them.
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