Do A Sex Offender Search Before Trick-Or-Treating
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) - As kids head out to the streets for trick-or-treating Halloween night, some parents worry more about strangers than witches and spooks.
Do you know if there are any sex offenders living in your neighborhood? It's easy to find out by simply entering your address online.
[SEARCH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HERE]
According to the state, the sex offender registry is made available through the Internet "with the intent to better assist the public in preventing and protecting against the commission of future criminal sexual acts by convicted sex offenders."
Testing the sex offender search engine out here at CBS Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket's Evan Jankens got quite a few hits in his Roseville neighborhood.
"Eight offenders in five locations — all within two blocks of my house!" Jankens said. "I don't have kids, though...and I'd like to think I could defend myself if someone's trying to grab me."
But the Ticket's Jamie Samuelson, who does have children, found there are a few offenders living a just couple subdivisions away from his Troy home.
"I read an article about the sex offender registry a few months ago and realized I'd never looked up my neighborhood," Samuelson said. "It's a little jarring to see names and houses in your area. But it's never prevented me from letting my kids play outside or trick-or-treat like they normally do."
If you haven't searched lately, you might want to search again — as the registry can change quickly. State police update the database frequently "in a continuous effort to provide complete and accurate information."