Although most people would not like to meet sex offenders, Mesa residents are now able to find out where they live.
All residents have to do is sign up to receive e-mail notifications in the event such offenders move into a neighborhood near a school, park or daycare center where children congregate.
The Mesa Police Department is making available on its website a user-friendly link that features a sex offender registry called OffenderWatch.
OffenderWatch, which is in addition to the sex offender registry maintained by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, allows Mesa residents to receive notifications for a specific address or multiple ones.
"Any time you can let people know where sex offenders live, it makes the city safer," said Detective Mike Melendez, a Mesa police spokesman.
OffenderWatch is accessible by visiting http://www.mesaaz.gov/police, and is available 24 hours a day. Residents can register on the site to receive e-mails for certain addresses. When an offender is required to register with MCSO, that information is immediately and electronically made available to the law enforcement agency serving the jurisdiction where the offender moves to. Then, a Mesa police officer contacts and interviews the offender, verifies the address, collect additional information and prepares the notification for residents. The information moves with the offender whenever he or she relocates to another jurisdiction.
As of this week, Mesa had 644 registered sex offenders living in the city, according to Melendez. Whether a sex offender is required to register when moving into a new city or relocating to another state depends on the level of offense or risk factor of repeating the crimes.
Mesa is the first East Valley city to use OffenderWatch, Melendez said. Other cities using it include Yuma and Buckeye, and Peoria is in the process of getting it online.
Rudy101 posted at 6:56 am on Sat, Sep 4, 2010.
Any time you can let people know where sex offenders live, it makes the city safer," said Detective Mike Melendez, a Mesa police spokesman.
This is flat out WRONG. No registry or registry law has ever been shown to protect. In fact, registry laws have been shown to actually make the community MORE dangerous by making desperate outcasts with little to lose.
Because the registry does not protect the community and in fact takes away protection from the offender, AND makes the community MORE dangerous, those on the registry do not have to register.
The registry was passed ex-post facto in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The registry does not allow for challenges, appeals or hearings. The registry is a legislative creation passed ex-post facto that gives the legislature sole discretion on who and who does not end up on the registry. A person on the registry can ONLY expect these things: Harassment, threats, banishment, and fear and more laws that do not protect anyone and does not have due process to them. Anyone has the moral right to flee the registry and do whatever they can to avoid the illegal and unconstitutional registry. Until and unless there is some due process to the registry and a balance is made between the rights of an individual and the rights of the community (which WILL make the community safer), all registry laws can be ignored.
Carolyn posted at 10:51 am on Sat, Sep 4, 2010.
Rudy101, you are SO right with regard to everything you said. Not only that, if a person has been convicted of a crime and serves his or her sentence and is released, the matter should be considered CLOSED. Hounding people even after they have paid their price to society is something promoted by those who get their kicks SCARING people. If pedophiles are bothersome to some people, then maybe they need to watch their children more closely or EDUCATE their children. Education is the best protection. Due process is one of the best things about living in the United States of America. Those who "favor" sex offender registries seem to have forgotten that.
justiceforvictim posted at 5:15 pm on Mon, Sep 6, 2010.
As a person who is affiliated with several victims of sex related crimes, I feel this website is a great idea.
Our founding fathers drafted a Constitution that would allow future amending for a reason. Thank God for that.
Studies show overwhelmingly that sex-offenders are almost ALWAYS repeat offenders, who will offend again.
Merely educating our children on the perversions of sex offenders is not enough to protect them from their evil influence, no matter how strong or stealth they may be.
We as citizens in this day and age unfortunately need all the tools we can get to help to protect ourselves and our children from the possibility of being yet another repeat offense!
Rich posted at 9:18 am on Tue, Sep 7, 2010.
Andrew Thomas, as county attorney, got a plea bargain that made a sex offender out of a teenager who brought a PLAYBOY to school. Until you get your prosecutors and laws under control and have a real good understanding of who is dangerous and who isn't, this is a very bad idea.
Poorman posted at 6:53 am on Sat, Sep 11, 2010.
Send the poor offenders to my house,i got a nice little suprise for them. We need to know where they are at,period.