(Decatur County, IN) – The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office says there are 40 to 50 registered sex offenders residing in the county, and deputies want you to know where they live so that you can avoid those houses during Trick or Treat tonight.
“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website www.decaturcountysheriff.com, to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” says Sheriff Bill Meyerrose.
Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spend time.
“The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives,” Meyerrose said.
He adds you’ll also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for free automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register.
“If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a family or friend’s neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all of the addresses where your children spend a lot of time; for example, friend’s, grandparent’s, or babysitter’s addresses” said Meyerrose.
The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office.
“The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up to date on newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly,” Meyerrose said.
The website for the statewide sex and violent offender registry is http://www.icrimewatch.net/indiana.php. Residents should click on the county that they want to check. Once on the county’s personal site, residents can click the link “Search for Offenders in your area” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive free e-mail alerts.
Sheriff Meyerrose and his deputies encourage everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. He adds knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders live in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.
For more information, please call the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 663-8125.
