It's embarrassing enough to have a marked cruiser pull up outside your home, let alone one marked with "SEXUAL OFFENDER ENFORCEMENT" on the outside. Come on, this is deliberate!
09/09/2011
By Amber Southard
Panama City Beach - Sheriff’s deputies and police officers routinely verify the addresses of registered sex offenders and sexual predators to make sure they're following local and state laws, but the Bay County Sheriff's Office is taking the process a step further.
Not only does the sheriff's office check on the counties 341 registered sex offenders and 17 sexual predators, they also let their neighbors know who's living next door.
- So out of 341, only 5% are predators. If those are true predators, then they should have been sentenced to longer time in prison, then all this nonsense with residency restrictions and the online shaming hit-list, would not be needed.
Every Thursday Malcolm Fowler gets in Bay County's only marked Sexual Offender Enforcement patrol car, checks his address list for sexual offenders and predators, then he visits their neighbors.
"I go door to door. Some people come out, some people don't. I usually leave it on their door and if I see them outside I’ll explain what I’m doing and their usually pretty thankful," said Malcolm Fowler.
- Yeah, instead of letting them go down to the court house, like in the old days, if they want to know the criminals around them, or to visit the web site and sign up for emails, now the police are further naming and shaming ex-offenders who are trying to get on with their lives. This is deliberate, IMO!
Fowler started as a volunteer. He's now a part time sheriff's office employee.
"It frees them up to do other jobs and I figure that I’m saving them man hours where they can go out and participate in what they are suppose to be doing," said Fowler.
Fowler hands out yellow flyers letting neighbors know registered sexual offenders like 30 year old [name withheld] have moved into their neighborhood. [name withheld] was convicted of lewd and lascivious indecent assault on a child under 16 years. [name withheld]’s neighbor Dan Jolly appreciates Fowler visit.
"Well I had heard of this guy before 2 or 3 months ago that he was living in the neighborhood and I’ve seen him a few times," said Jolly.
