Internet may not give full story on sex, violent crime offenders
10 p.m. Sunday, July 15, 2007
Topeka — The internet is a useful tool if you are just looking to find out how many sex and violent offenders are living in your neighborhood. But how reliable is this information?
When Colin and Ginger Bennett first moved into their home in Central Park, the neighbors next door weren't quite so friendly. In fact, Colin was pretty certain they were making meth; he started getting dizzy outside just from the smell.
“I couldn't mow the lawn. I had to stop and go inside and wait ‘til they stopped doing what they were doing,” says Colin Bennett.
Thanks to a new state law that went into effect this month, people like Colin's old neighbors could show up on the state's offender list.
“If we'd known that before we bought our house we would have still bought our house, because we love the property, but it would have helped us understand how to work through those problems,” says Bennett.
Currently the state's offender registry is manned by the KBI and offers the names of sex offenders and violent offenders. It was the second registry website created in the country. The Bennetts checked out the KBI's website at www.accesskansas.org/kbi/ and tried to do a search in their area.
“It doesn't appear with the KBI website that you can search by street address,” says Bennett.
All states have their own websites, but there are also a number of private websites that offer the same information. After KBI, the Bennetts checked out the private website www.familywatchdog.us.
“It looks like it has more detail. It has crimes against children. It tells you not only where they work but where they live,” says Bennett.
Steve Roddel started familywatchdog.us because he found out a serial rapist was practically living in his back yard, but had not shown up on his state's website. The website, like other private offender registries, pulls all of its offender information from the state’s website. But Roddel says his site goes one step further.
“We can generally plot a house address within about a hundred yards of where that address actually is,” says Roddel.
Another website, usa-people-search.com, charges $20 for search results.
“Not only is it unconscionable that they charge, it's derelict and dangerous that their information is very old,” says Roddel.
Kyle Smith with the KBI says websites are useful but never address the majority of the sexual crimes against children.
“Eighty-percent of the child molestations in this country occur by family members and friends,” says Smith, “Don't get the impression that [the internet] is going to protect your child completely. It is a helpful tool but a helpful tool for a minority of the offenses.”
Smith admits that KBI’s website is not as user-friendly as he would like, but he believes legislation referred to as Adam's Law will help provide mapping software to improve the website, with features similar to familywatchdog.us.
“We'll have a hyperlink to click on the offense so you'll be able to see exactly what the person was convicted for,” says Smith.
Roddel says his organization is willing to share their mapping software with the KBI free of charge.
“We want them to take that $300,000 and use it to put it back into enforcement,” says Roddel.
49 News tried to get in touch with the people who run that website usa-people-search.com. We wanted to ask why they charge you for information you can get for free, but they never responded.
Starting Monday, you can sign up for new mapping updates from familywatchdog.us. So you will be notified by text alerts to your cell phone as soon as an offender moves into your neighborhood.
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