All Over Albany

Oh hey look at that. I knew I'd learn the names of my neighbors sooner or later.

*chills down spine*

... said Mrs. M on Sep 17, 2009 at 2:34 PM | link

Oh wow, there are six in my area...

... said Summer on Sep 17, 2009 at 2:35 PM | link

Whoa, a map mashup that doesn't use Google Maps? This feels weirder than living next door to a sex offender.

Speaking of which, there are no offenders within 2 miles of me (near Northway exits 6&7 in Latham)?

Oh, and be sure to use an address from the next street over. If one of these kiddie porn downloaders has the smarts to hack into the cops' web site they'll find a lovely log file with all the addresses of people with kids looking for offenders nearby. (Do I *really* need to put in my street address to generate a map? A zip code won't do?)

... said Ellsass on Sep 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM | link

@Ellsass: remember, not all sex offenders target children. I don't have kids, but I still don't want to be assaulted walking home from work....

... said Summer on Sep 17, 2009 at 4:12 PM | link

This is a very disturbing development for more reasons than I can begin to enumerate in a short comment here. I know my opinions are unpopular; but they are also founded in more than 15 years of experience in working with victims of abuse and with offenders themselves.

First. There is, after 13 years in effect, no evidence that Megans Law has ANY impact on public safety or reduction in sex crimes. NONE. Why? For starters, the vast majority of sex crimes committed are NOT committed by registered sex offenders. Probably less than 10%.

Second, and related to the first. Between 85% and 90% of sex crimes committed involve close acquaintances and family...not some stranger assaulting you on the street. Given statistics that tell us that 1 of 3 girls and 1 of 4 boys will be sexually abused, that suggests that there are a LOT of sex offenders (lower case) out there who have never been caught, convicted and registered as a Sex Offender (upper case). What that means is that regardless of some map of Sex Offenders, the reality is we are all surrounded by sex offenders. They are your neighbors, your coworkers, your parents, and even your spouse.

Third. Contrary to popular belief and much uninformed press coverage (yes, including this piece on AOA), the fact is that sex offenders have the LOWEST recidivism rate of all major crimes studied (about 5%, or 1 in 20). Don't believe me? A 2004 report from John Ashcroft's Dept. of Justice documents it quite thoroughly (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm). In fact, for most of the crimes that result in a person being placed on the SO Registry, the rate of re-offense is SO low that it can hardly be measured. Do you really believe that these Sex Offenders are really lying in wait to commit another crime just so they can spend the rest of their lives in prison? (NY is a two-strike state for sex crimes.)

Fourth. What about the belief that sex offenders cannot ever be "cured?" While there are two categories of sex offense that seem to be difficult to deal with (violent sexual assault and some forms of pedophilia), these two crimes comprise a small portion of the Sex Offender population. There is ample evidence that Sex Offenders who are given a course of behavioral counseling, who are able to engage in normal social activity, and who commit to a life of no re-offense will be successful.

Like so many other complex issues that face our society, we choose a politically expedient method to address a deep and troubling problem. But this solution (public exposure) panders to misinformation, fear, and distaste for the nature of the crime and does NOTHING at all to help children and others who are victims of sexual abuse. Read the comments here so far. I see nothing but disgust and fear. Not a single element of understanding of the real issue.

And now all these people, the vast majority of whom are people who made a serious mistake for complicated reasons and simply want to get their lives back on track, may be targeted for hate crimes. How many of these people will now be harassed to the point that they must move...only to be put in the spotlight again?

Over and over, everywhere across the country we learn the same thing. Tightening the noose around the necks of these people does NOT help anyone. In some states where laws are quite stringent, law enforcement agencies report that they spend an inordinate amount of money and time dealing with a population that has very low risk and more serious problems, like for instance gang violence, are left undermanned.

All I ask here is that the intelligent folks who read AOA will take a moment to think about these issues without the cloud of fear.

... said No More Fear on Sep 18, 2009 at 9:00 AM | link

I know this issue is a "third rail," but could we be over-doing it with the notifications and public information on sex offenders? The State already maintains the Sex Offender Registry, so why is the city investing resources in interactive maps and email alerts? I think our attention and diligence should be directed to crimes like robbery and muggings, which seem to be occurring with increased frequency particularly in Center Square.

... said Rob on Sep 18, 2009 at 9:07 AM | link

also i am one of those who happened to befriend a SO years ago, and consider that person a FRIEND. there is too much hysteria over nothing here when we look at the stats of 'no more fear.'
look at the facts, ladies and gentlemen, and teach your children right, but like we all know, so many are known to us, so one important rule to teach kids "NO SECRETS"

... said Kristine on Sep 18, 2009 at 10:34 AM | link

@Ellsass Trust me when I say the likelihood of ANY registered SO anywhere taking the time to track you down via some hacked log file is infinitesimally small. Far MORE likely that a family member or friend of one of these registered Sex Offenders will be injured or even killed as a result of a hate crime now that THEIR address, face, and car is displayed for ANYONE without regard to their motive. I think you SHOULD have to register your name and address to get access to this information (which you do on the State Registry), then you will be on a list of suspects if such a crime is committed.

You should put your concerns about your and your family's safety in more fruitful areas. How about a public registry and map with pictures of gun owners for example? More specifically, gun owners with concealed weapons permits. Now THAT scares the crap out of me.

... said No More Fear on Sep 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM | link

@No More Fear @Rob @Kristine

Very valid points. In fact, I said to my husband last night "if these people are such a threat to public safety that they warrant public photos/names/addresses/crime history/e-mail alerts, why aren't they locked up?" Seems like the hysteria and blacklisting is getting out of control.

... said Mrs. M on Sep 18, 2009 at 11:46 AM | link

Nice. One of the crusty old rapists in my neighborhood is wearing a #1 Grandpa shirt in his picture. That kind of irony makes me weep.

... said Lucy on Sep 21, 2009 at 9:46 AM | link

@Lucy While I know nothing of the specific person you refer to, I wonder if you do either. Maybe...just maybe...his grandchildren really do love him and he really is a #1 Grandpa. Just because he is on a list and map does not make him less of human being; though that is exactly what the list and map want us to think.

... said No More Fear on Sep 21, 2009 at 10:43 AM | link