Periodically I check online to see if there are any registered level 3 sex offenders living near my home or by my children’s school.
Here are some sites where you can check:
Family Watchdog This site is national and you can sign up for email alerts if sex offender lives within 5 miles of your address (you can put up to three).
Jacob Wetterling
As part of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act the United States Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offenders Registration Act, which bears the name of an 11-year old boy who was abducted at gunpoint and never seen again. The Act set forth guidelines for states to establish sex offender registry programs.
Megan’s Law
In 1996 the Wetterling Act was amended by Megan’s Law, which requires states to release relevant information about registered sex offenders to protect the public. This law bears the name of Megan Kanka, a seven year old girl who was sexually molested and murdered by a convicted sex offender after being invited into his home to play with his new puppy.