Map information from the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
As your little ones and not-so-little-ones prepare to go door to door for Trick or Treat this Halloween, Patch offers a map of our town's registered sex offenders.
Know :
- Registered sex offenders are not allowed to distribute candy to children; however, the law does give leeway to sex offenders who are parents or legal guardians of children under age 18 living in the home.
- Registered sex offenders often are advised by police to keep porch lights turned off to avoid attracting children on Halloween and to not answer the door.
- Sex offenders are ordered to report to their respective districts where they will view a 20-minute, educational video detailing their responsibilities and requirements under the law, such as not living with 500 feet of a school, no social networking, and regularly updating their home address.
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I would like to see what else the Patch "discovered" about the RSOs in town, such as how many are family men just trying to make a life for themselves by finding work & a home for their families only to be under the microscope every day of the year, especially near Halloween. Or the then 18-yo senor in high school who was dating a junior just shy of 17 who is still paying the price 10+ years later. Why not dig a little deeper and write a story about them?
To clarify, we did not report in the story that being labeled as a sexual predator makes an offender any more dangerous than any other. The distinction we made was that those classified as sexual predators are required to register for their entire lives. As for stories on individual offenders, that's an interesting idea, and one I would definitely consider. In regards to an 18 y.o. senior dating a junior just shy of 17, are you referring specifically to one of these offenders? Not sure I find one who fits that description, based on the information from the registry. Lauren
I wasn't saying that it was specifically mentioned that those with the "sexual predator" label are more dangerous than other RSOs, just that it would be nice if reporters would dig deeper into what being listed on the registry means. There is no way for the average citizen to understand what the registry is all about. Reading stories in the news is how many of them get this information. It would be helpful if MORE information was given in stories like this. Otherwise, the assumption is that everyone listed on the registry pose a great and immediate danger to society. One of the limitations of the registry being a useful tool is that it contains inaccurate and misleading information. Someone convicted in a "Romeo & Juliet" relationship most likely has the offense of "Criminal Sexual Abuse." Does the public know what that means? Probably not. Also, sometimes the age listed as age at time of offense is actually the age at time of conviction. A 20- or 21-yo convicted of "Criminal Sexual Abuse" with a victim of 16 sounds a lot worse than an 18-yo with an almost-17-yo girlfriend. It takes a lot or research to begin to fully understand the information listed on the registry. Unfortunately, many people take it at face value.
Thank you for the reply. I wasn't saying that it was specifically mentioned that those with the "sexual predator" label are more dangerous than other RSOs, just that it would be nice if reporters would dig deeper into what being listed on the registry means. There is no way for the average citizen to understand what the registry is all about. Reading stories in the news is how many of them get this information. It would be helpful if MORE information was given in stories like this. Otherwise, the assumption is that everyone listed on the registry pose a great and immediate danger to society. One of the limitations of the registry being a useful tool is that it contains inaccurate and misleading information. Someone convicted in a "Romeo & Juliet" relationship most likely has the offense of "Criminal Sexual Abuse." Does the public know what that means? Probably not. Also, sometimes the age listed as age at time of offense is actually the age at time of conviction. A 20- or 21-yo convicted of "Criminal Sexual Abuse" with a victim of 16 sounds a lot worse than an 18-yo with an almost-17-yo girlfriend. It takes a lot or research to begin to fully understand the information listed on the registry. Unfortunately, many people take it at face value.
Sorry, which article are you talking about? I'm a bit confused by your question. Lauren
On Sunday you ran an article about a woman fending off a attempted sexual assault, and yet when I went to click the link, it just opened up the general public safety page. So I tried clicking the link through there, and the same public safety page opened again. Must have been a glitch somewhere, but I tried to do it on two separate occasions. Thanks for responding.
This is a post that brings you to the topic page, so you can get a glimpse of the top stories related to police and fire news that week. You tried clicking on the individual links listed on the page? Lauren
http://oakforest.patch.com/articles/don-t-invite-strangers-into-your-home-police-blotter
Patch simply gave us an over view.
participate in a holiday event involving children under 18 years of age, including but not limited to distributing candy or other items to children on Halloween, wearing a Santa Claus costume on or preceding Christmas, being employed as a department store Santa Claus, or wearing an Easter Bunny costume on or preceding Easter. For the purposes of this subsection, child sex offender has the meaning as defined in this Section, but does not include as a sex offense under paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of this Section, the offense under subsection (c) of Section 11-1.50 of this Code. This subsection does not apply to a child sex offender who is a parent or guardian of children under 18 years of age that are present in the home and other non-familial minors are not present.
Unfortunately, the 2nd Amendment stops at the border of Illinois. It really stops at the border of Cook county.
I also question how an offender like Dantoni R. Washington, who was convicted of criminal sexual abuse of a 13 year old when he was 26, can live as close as he does to a child care center, a high school, library, and the Oak Forest Central Park Building Center. I thought there were laws in place to try to keep offenders such as Dantoni far away from places where children congregate.