Hillsborough County deputies to visit more than 1200 sex offenders ahead of Halloween
The sheriff said deputies are determined to contact each sex offender before Monday, even if it means returning to the home more than once if no one answers the door.
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Seems they have nothing better to do? It always seems to me they have way too many police officers all over the place. I see them meeting on the side of the road to chat, I see 3 x mir cars and cops at a scene of an accident or another incident just standing around as even more are coming around the corner to join, I see them lined up every half a mile to look for speeders…
And why going from die to door and knocking? You can drive by and see if there is decoration. Next , will they check the house for hidden candy??
It’s all about harassment and it seems obvious they have to many officers that they can afford to do that.
FAC,
This seems nothing more than harassment and abuse of power against those not on probation. Since when is a verbal warning from law enforcement legal? I can find no written law or ordinance which allows this type of charade. Is this something FAC will be looking into?
It’s a bit late for this year, but if we can get more volunteers on board we will try for next. We’ve had a lot of correspondence going out lately.
FAC
Here’s to hoping there won’t have to be a next year and that soon this will all be ruled punishment. (The registry)
Like I have always said, the more they get away with, the more they get away with next time. Pushing the envelope on steroids.
Funny how some Sheriff’s do not focus too much on registrants if they are compliant and instead focus on crime. Then other sheriff’s grandstand and make those on the registry a huge part of their focus, and probably their budget.
Some of the larger Sheriff’s offices in Florida have an entire staff of full time deputies who do nothing but registry compliance. Meanwhile 911 calls for urgent help are being delayed due to short staff. Since all of us pay taxes, we are paying for deputies to come and harass us.
If the public knew the reason they cannot get an officer to their house in a reasonable amount of time because they are short staffed, but fully staffed on registry checks, maybe, just maybe there would be some outrage? (Ok probably not but it is a thought).
Do we have any numbers on how much funding departments get for registry compliance? That would be an eye opener and should be public record.
DON’T ANSWER THE DOOR UNLESS YOUR ON PROBATION/PAROLE!
Waste there resources, i never answer unless i know who is on the other side and if its the police they can keep on n
knocking till there knuckles bleed
TO: Hard Reality
When I was still on probation, One Halloween I got a knock at my door. There was the County Sheriff’s office, City Police, an FDLE Agent AND the Probation officer. Since I was on probation, they did not need a warrant.
A neighbor had called in a tip that I had a kidnapped kid in my house. They tore my house apart from floor to ceiling. After finding nothing, they did not offer to pay for the damages and as they left, one of the officers yelled ” WE are watching you”.
As soon as I was off of probation, I got the Heck out of that city and county.
Here is what I sent to the Hillsborough County Sheriff:
Dear Sheriff Chronister:
Thank you for your continued service to Hillborough County and to the State of Florida!
In order to combat child sexual abuse, we must use effective strategies, and we must be careful not to waste thin resources!
*** Here is a statement from The Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse – an international, multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to making society safer by preventing sexual abuse. (It can be found here: https://www.atsa.com/policy/ATSAHalloween2019.pdf)
A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e T r e a t m e n t o f S e x u a l A b u s e r s 4900 SW Griffith Drive, Suite 274, Beaverton, Oregon 97005 USA Phone: 503.643.1023 | Fax: 503.643.5084 | [email protected] | http://www.atsa.com Halloween and sexual abuse prevention:
The mythical “Halloween effect” From the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
October 1, 2019 As October arrives and families begin preparing for Halloween, it is always a priority to ensure children’s safety during this holiday. It is important to learn the facts and know the risks to your child during this festive time. A heightened risk of being sexually abused is NOT one of the dangers children face at Halloween. The simple fact is that there are no significant increases in sexual crimes on or around Halloween. There is no “Halloween effect.” There is no change in the rate of sexual crimes by non-family members during Halloween. That was true both before and after communities enacted laws to restrict the activities of registrants during Halloween. The crimes that do increase around Halloween are vandalism and property destruction, as well as theft, assault, and burglary. In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control, children are four times more likely to be killed by a pedestrian/motor-vehicle accident on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Fully 93% of sexual assaults on children are perpetrated by someone known to, and trusted by, the child and the child’s family. But due to the myths regarding child sexual abuse that focus on “stranger danger,” communities and lawmakers often endorse policies that do little to prevent sexual abuse and instead unnecessarily stretch limited law enforcement resources. Jurisdictions that ban individuals on sex offender registries from participating in any Halloween activities, require registrants to post signs in their yards during Halloween, or round up registrants for the duration of trick-or-treating do not make children safer. Instead, these approaches create a false sense of safety while using law enforcement resources that could be better spent protecting children against the higher risk they do face during Halloween – injury or death from motor vehicles. Child sexual abuse is a serious public health issue that faces all communities. Although the prevalence of child sexual abuse can be difficult to determine due to under-reporting, researchers estimate that one in four girls and one in six boys will be victims of sexual abuse before age 18. For concerned parents, the best way to protect children from sexual abuse is to know the facts about sexual offending and take precautions based on facts, not fears. Parents can visit http://www.atsa.com to learn more about sexual abuse and prevention.
*** Here also is the abstract from a research study published by the National Institutes of Health: (It can be found here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19581428/)
Abstract
States, municipalities, and parole departments have adopted policies banning known sex offenders from Halloween activities, based on the worry that there is unusual risk on these days. The existence of this risk has not been empirically established. National Incident-Base Reporting System crime report data from 1997 through 2005 were used to examine daily population adjusted rates from 67,045 nonfamilial sex crimes against children aged 12 years and less. Halloween rates were compared with expectations based on time, seasonality, and weekday periodicity. Rates did not differ from expectation, no increased rate on or just before Halloween was found, and Halloween incidents did not evidence unusual case characteristics. Findings were invariant across years, both prior to and after these policies became popular. These findings raise questions about the wisdom of diverting law enforcement resources to attend to a problem that does not appear to exist.
We must use scarce resources wisely – not on an urban myth or an isolated incident.
Sir, thank you for reviewing this vital information.
Very Respectfully Yours,