Every year in the run-up to Halloween, Patch publishes maps showing the homes of “registered sex offenders” in various cities. Ostensibly, this information is aimed at helping parents who worry that their children might be molested while trick-or-treating. But research shows that such fears have no basis in reality, and these stories—like the warning signs and restrictions imposed by local police prior to Halloween—mainly serve to stigmatize people who have already completed their sentences, along with their spouses and children, who have committed no crimes at all. That stigma invites harassment, vandalism, and violence. Like much local journalism, the practice of publishing these maps is ill-informed sensationalism masquerading as a public service.
Reason: Publishing Registered Sex Offenders’ Home Addresses Before Halloween Is Gratuitous, Unethical, and Reckless
Oct 12, 2020 | 41 comments
Southern California
This M**F’er is STILL going strong. Shit, I’m SO stupid. I was just trying to help out a family member who thought this was real… Should have looked up his name/”badge number” before talking to him any further. Called me from a (661) area code number. Scammed me for $849. Filing a report with the Sheriff dept
He’s at it in northern cal also. I got a weird voicemail of him talking to someone else who had the same name as me saying something about up dates n smart office and sorna. It’s an acronym for a something sex offender related. It’s like he had accidentally called my number while he talked on another phone to this other person. Chris Hastings 7u34 badge number. Thing is I got got a couple hrs ago with a similar scan. I’m so caught up in trilling to someday get off the registry that I didn’t think twice about paying a ‘bail’ in Google pay cards so I wouldn’t b out of compliance. Bout halfway thru the whole ordeal I wizened up n told a cashier I was being blackmailed. She was already suspicious bc I kept going in buying more cards all freaked out. The worst part was she called the cops, who just happen to know me well n i was arrested bc they thought I was on drugs n hallucinating the whole thing. But fuck this guy. I’m reporting him asap. His # is 925 318 7048 as of last week.
He’s still at it, same name, same badge number, with a local phone number. Sgt Chris Hastings, 7U34
This guy calls my wife, he says there is a warrant for my arrest if I don’t take the call. She tells him I’m at work. He tells her I’m a sex offender and there is a warrant for my arrest. She gets his info & I call him back, of course as soon as you hear the VM it’s a scam. So I play along and leave a message to have him call me. So Sgt Chris Hastings calls me right back I gave him my info and sure enough he finds me on Florida website. He then tells me there is a warrant for my arrest and since I did not respond to the registered mail they sent me. I ask him what address he sent to and right away he starts yelling at me they will send the marshals to my house unless I pay the 800 bond via gift cards. I ask why? He said all sex offenders were required to register in September and then turn themselves in the local jail on October 31 to avoid the trick or treaters in NJ. I start laughing at him and he gets real nasty and tells me there sending the marshals to my house, he then hangs up. So my kids and all their friends call him and every time he calls them back & tells them they will all go to jail for calling a federal phone number.
Dept of Justice
SORNA Division Trenton, NJ
Sgt. Chris Hastings
Badge 7U34
732-436-4557
Call him leave a VM and he calls you right back, but if you dont have real sex offender info, he hangs up. I called the police and he has been scamming sex offenders in Jersey for the last two weeks. I find it amazing the number is still active,
Oh the police just called me back. The scammer did his homework, he found out I live in Jersey by the Florida offender website. He does a white pages search on everyone living at my address. My wife has had the same cell number since 2001 and apparently its tied to my address, and that’s how he was able to get her. In Jersey only teir 2 & 3 are public info.
John
Yeah it is supposed to be a state and I believe a Federal crime to use the registry for personal, illegal or harmful gain. Having said that, I do not know of a single person charged with that even though we have numerous instances where the registry was used to harm or harass and even murder someone on the registry.
But remember kids, the registry is not punishment but a gift to the non registered public and Normal people
Sorry you and your family were subjected to that. I live in Georgia where everyone is listed on the online registry. I had the same thing happen last year but the Jckss told me I had to meet him in Atlanta with cash and that ‘he’d meet me in the parking lot so as to avoid me having to go thru the arrest process’ for the warrant. The interesting part…my mobile number is not mine, it’s a company phone # and while the Fulton Co sheriff’s office has the number, it is not published publicly. Again even if it were it’s not in my name. All that to say, I’m convinced it’s someone from the ‘inside’ of the FCSO who’s accessing the info for their neighborhood ‘brothers’ to run the scam.
Also in Georgia, and have had similar attempts. I like to have fun with it. They’d say I violated a court order to provide a DNA sample or something, I’d tell them to mail it again and they’d get their sample when I mailed it back after wiping my ass with it. They’d tell me to go somewhere and they were tracking me on my phone, I’d tell them you know where I am, come get me. Stuff like that.
PG
I had the same thing happen when they were sending out the Clear my case scam cards. I new from the start it was a scam because anyone claiming they can get you off the registry guaranteed is full of $#@%. I use to put them in an envelope and send them back to them with postage due. They would always open it hoping it was a sucker falling for their scam.
I know they must have paid the postage because I never got them back.
Hastings is still at it, but now he is working out of Southern California apparently. He has the same badge number, and he can be reached at (626) 534-8947. Thank you for posting this information so that I could google him easily.
k.c
When you get these, go to sites like Safe caller and mark the numbers as spam
I just did that with the number you posted and there were already some who did the same with one poster even noting it was a law enforcement scam. My report adds to that now. The more votes it gets as an unsafe #, many phone companies or programs let you know when the call comes through that it may be an unsafe caller.
This just happened to us too..he was reported to the local sherrifs after seeing this article..he is lurking in California snd using 559 423 7839 number out of Lemoore..he scammed us iut of 1200 dollar in pre paid green dot cards..he also then called again at 5 am requesting more money saying the cards didn’t go through..we then called the cops and they had us file a complaint with the ftc
The Duval County ‘HELL-O-WEEN’ Sign…..
How are ‘They’ Distributed? And if So, by what Means?
Who Installs the Signs, How, When and Why?
Thank You
You put up your own sign.
Jacob
Is this like in a hanging you get to pick out and place on your own noose?
Just total humiliation. And yet, somehow under God’s great and expansive firmament, they state it is unequivocally NOT Punishment.
HOW do they keep stating that without busting out laughing?
My Dad use to spank me as a child and tell the the entire time how much he loved me. Never made sense.
No sign will go in my yard without my permission. However, I might be willing to rent space for a sign to be put up…at $1,000 per hour.
Capt
I am glad where I live I do not have to have a sign, I can participate in Halloween (I don’t by freewill) can live close to a school (I was grandfathered in) and only have an officer come to my house once a year. If I had to have a sign, that would make me move somewhere else for sure.
This is odd since I have to register 4 times a year. No one can answer why I have to register 4 times per year, even the S.O task force officer said that doesn’t seem right.
I know why, I filed a complaint against FDLE for false info about me on the registry that the judge forced them to remove. Right after that, I was switched to 4 times a year registration.
Not hiring another lawyer at $5000 a pop to fix it. First off dont have that money. 2ndly why should I pay to fix a mistake on the registry, 3rd No lawyer will guarantee me a correction even though they all swear on their Mother’s graves that it is incorrect and lastly if I pissed off the FDLE the first time, imagine what they would do to me a 2nd time.
Time to stay off their radar and hope and pray for some relief before I am 100. (I refuse to die before age 100 to see if I can get off the registry before then)
Upon re-reading the ordinance, it’s 6:00 A.M. not 5:00 A.M. I am posting it below. As you can see, it covers not only Helloween, but ANY AND ALL holidays and EVENTS.
Sec. 685.104. – Prohibited Activities for Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators;
(a)Prohibitions and requirements for Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators; Exemption.
(1)It is unlawful for any Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator to participate in any practice or event, including, but not limited to, any event related to a nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event, if such practice or event is primarily targeted toward non-familial children.
(2)It is unlawful for any Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator to wear costumes, clothing, make-up, mask or anything that would alter a person’s appearance in the presence of any non-familial child if such altered appearance could or would entice, attract or lure a child to congregate around, or move closer to, that person.
(3)Any person designated a Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator shall:(i)Avoid all Halloween related contact with children;
(ii)From 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., on October 31 (or any other day on which Halloween is celebrated) post a sign at his or her residence, including a vessel, or vehicle, stating, “No candy or treats here.” Such signs shall be in letters at least two inches high and shall be legible on the property leased, rented, owned or occupied by the Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator, and clearly visible from the street, waterway, or any property that is open to public access. The signs may be removed after 11:59 p.m. on October 31, or the day on which Halloween is celebrated.
(iii)Except for lighting provided on a year-round basis by the owner or manager of a multi-family residential unit for the purpose of security or walkway or hallway illumination, leave all outside residential lighting off during the evening hours after 5:00 p.m. on October 31 (or any other day on which Halloween is celebrated).
(iv)Not place or allow any display, including but not limited to displays for any nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event or practice, to be visible from the exterior of any Sexual Offender’s or Sexual Predator’s residence, including a vehicle or vessel, or on any property which is leased, rented, owned or occupied by such person, if such display is primarily targeted to entice, attract, or lure a child onto any residence or property, or onto or nearer to any vehicle or vessel rented, owned or occupied by such person. Enforcement of this section shall not be limited to the actual calendar date of any given nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event or practice.
https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXIXPUSA_CH685SEOFSEPRRE_S685.104PRACSEOFSEPREX
Darn
I guess I will have to stop being the mall Santa every year .(Sarcasm)
IN all seriousness, in this environment we now live in, not sure why anyone on or off the registry would want kids to come to their door for Halloween. I stopped giving out candy as soon as I moved out of my parents house when I turned 18.
Helloween is approaching again. Here in Duval, we must put out our yard sign “NO CANDY OR TREATS HERE” from 5:00 A.M. to Midnight. Even if “the offender” is out of town, the sign must go out. All this does is open the family up for humiliation, harassment, vandalism, and violence. Thank you Jacksonville $hitty Council.
Oh, and it’s on a Saturday this year so more people will get to see it and organize their “response.”
My home is located on my property and nothing will be placed on my property without my permission. Duval can take their signs and place them where the sun don’t shine. It’s time to take a stand. Such actions by the city council are purely unconstitutional.
JZ
Don’t worry my friend, it is NOT punishment. And it is not discrimination since all other current and ex-felons have to do it to……………………….Oh wait, um let’s look at that statement carefully. Yeah it is punishment.
Can I get a sign in the front yard of the %#$&* down the street who purposely let’s her dog crap in my yard every morning?
If what these bigoted organizations say about me is untrue I do not let it bother me. I do not give Satan a victory. One day they will be held accountable.
So a six-month operation found that the county recidivism rate was 0. We know this because, had there been any signs of sexual misconduct, it surely would have been reported.
To justify the operation, they arrested dozens for registration failures and claimed, against all evidence, that those arrests contributed to safety. Fox 35, not wishing to offend their sources, reported it the way their sources expected, and viewers didn’t blink.
I get why people call to de-fund the police. They should be out solving sex crimes. This ain’t the same thing. The lack of recidivism reflects well in Osceola County registrants.
(Referring to a link that contained people’s mug shots and personal info and was removed).
You DO realize that some of the items you see aired on your local news stations are paid to be broadcast, yes?
Federal funds include it in their grants for ICAC operations for example.
Side note, Osceola county is a ICAC HQ. Just putting that out there.
“The lack of recidivism reflects well in Osceola County registrants.”
Registry Supporters/Terrorists say that it does not reflect well on the registrants. The recidivism is low because the Registries are keeping the sex offenders under control.
I’ve been working on de-funding law enforcement for about 2 decades now. In order for that to be effective, a town/city/state/whatever needs something like 80+% of the people to want that. Because otherwise the law enforcement criminals and the 5% (or whatever) of the population that zealously supports them, are successful at stealing money 1,000 different ways. It is a full time occupation to keep money and other resources away from those vampires.
But it has to be done. Law enforcement is surely 10 times larger than it should be. Government is 50 times too large. We need tens of millions of Americans to step up and tell big government that the wars on us are over. They are not on our side and their days of attacking need to end.
As long as governments and law enforcement have the time and money to run idiotic Hit Lists, they have way too many resources. De-fund. Always.
SO????
I thought we did not allow links that have offenders photos ???
Myself and many others have had links taken down stating FAC does not further drag peoples faces through the mud.
The rules seem to change in here by the second
Link removed
NARSOL’s work is paying off. Patch.com is starting to take out the word Halloween, instead saying that fall is a good time to find out who lives in your neighborhood. In the last part of their articles, they are stating that law enforcement is saying that the registry is of limited use as 90% of perpetrators are known by their victims.
The map is still in their posts, though, along with the phrase “sex offenders”.
According to The Gilmore Mirror, Patch.com says it puts out these maps because “that is what their readers want”.
“Because that is what their readers want”…
Ask Patch if they’ve ever heard the term: “You can’t always get what you want”.
I’m curious. Has anyone ever posted a comment on any of these Patch red dot pages thanking them for posting it? All the comments in the couple that I have seen were either berating them of calling it stupid.
Dustin
I am even more curious. There is already the registry AND Next door and other places calling us out as monsters, WHY do they need another site to do that?
People need to find something else to do with their spare time, good Lord in Heaven. ” Don’t have time to make the kids dinner, I need to catch up on that offender website and make people I don’t even know lives’ miserable”
Tuesday is the last full day to make a comment at the DOJ regarding sorna changes….if you have not made your comment, do so! There are so many people working on our behalf the least we can do is take 5 minutes to comment to show our support to those who have worked so hard on our behalf!! Do it. Numbers count! Do it. Now.
Ostensibly, this information is aimed at helping parents who worry that their children might be molested while trick-or-treating
Ask Patch if parents were worried about this nonsense BEFORE there was ever a sex offender registry. See what they say… if anything at all.
Ostensibly, this information is aimed at helping parents who worry that their children might be molested while trick-or-treating
And how many parents are really worried about that? If they seriously were, why would they take their kids trick-or-treating?
I am glad they are doing this because it kept me from sitting on my front porch in the nude with the candy between my legs. (YES Sarcasm)
I do not even participate in Halloween even though I have no restrictions saying I can’t. I turn off the lights and don’t answer the door.
It is fear mongering for profit. Plain and simple
I welcome the opportunity for anyone who wants to harass me. It will be the last time they harass anyone. I do not condone such BS. Besides I get along fine in my neighborhood and have no problems.
So what is the plan of action against these post? Can the listing organization be sued under insighting harm?
Robert
Seems it is public information so we rarely have a leg to stand on. I mean Nextdoor gets away with saying down right untrue things about us (One of my neighbors tells me what they are saying about me on there)