SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood?
That was a question posed to CBS42 by neighbors in Shelby County after they received a flyer in the mail from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, alerting them that a sex offender had recently moved into the Brook Highland area.
“We’re gonna make sure the community knows who you are, we’re gonna make sure the community knows where you live,” Chief Deputy Clay Hammac with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. “If this is an uncomfortable situation for a convicted sex offender, that’s okay with us.”
Hammac said the alert is a proactive approach to protect the community. Under Alabama law, once a registered sex offender is released from prison and moves into their community, the SCSO sends out a flyer to everyone living within 2,000 feet of their address. Alabama law also mandates that registered sex offenders can’t live within 2,000 feet of school zones or any type of daycare.
However, this tactic is not used for every registered sex offender in the area — generally for those with more serious offenses.
“If this is an uncomfortable situation for a convicted sex offender, that’s okay with us.”
“Now, we also want to make sure that we’re being good neighbors and good stewards of building relationships. We’re not asking our community to target anyone,” (wink wink…)
Hammac is talking out both sides of his mouth. He knows that this individual is going to be targeted for harassment, possibly even assault…but he doesn’t care (he more or less said as much himself). In fact, he may well be inciting such an eventuality by stirring up panic and paranoia.
“What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood?” How about just get on with your life and leave them alone.
What to do if a person on the registry moves into your neighborhood? Maybe they should talk to my landlady. She has 13 of us living here, and she would be happy to have more. She discovered the best kept secret in the rental industry. People on the registry make outstanding tenants and neighbors. They are generally people that have no other criminal history. Most were well to do people before their incident. Now that they are in the community they just want to get on with their lives. They know that some people are looking out for them, so they lay low, they are quiet, clean, respectful. They are very grateful to have employment and a place to live. They make equally good employees because they always know that they could lose it at any time. All it takes is for some self righteous vigilante to discover them and start raisng a fuss and they could lose their job or place to live. So they are generally very appreciative for the good that comes their way.
Next to out apartment comples is another one. They obviously haven’t discovered the secret, becuase while our little place is always quiet after 8 PM, the place next to us is constantly being visited by the police do to fights, drunkenness, parties, and shootings. Yes, our landlady screens for people on the registry, and once she finds out they are on the registry she calls them and offers them a place to stay and live quietly and peacefully as long as they want to stay.
Couldn’t find an email address to the article’s author, so I sent this to the deputy quoted in it:
Deputy Chammac:
Regarding the above cited news article, it is not very clear what specific actions your department recommends residents take when receiving one of your notifications of a registered sex offender in their neighborhoods.The following excerpts from the article don’t provide much clarity:
“Have an age-appropriate conversation with your student, with your child.” I would think such conversation should occur whether or not a convicted sex offender moved nearby as a simple matter of responsible parenting. Regardless, I can’t help but question the wisdom of suggesting parental vigilance be directed almost entirely on the neighborhood sex offender registrant when any given child is far more likely to be accosted by family members and friends, teachers, coaches, pastors, and yes, police officers. I’m sure your own county arrest records support the well-documented but least publicized fact that sex offender recidivism is among the lowest of all classes of crime (second only to murder) and that when registrants are arrested, it is nearly always for registry or parole/probation violations.
“Now, we also want to make sure that we’re being good neighbors and good stewards of building relationships. We’re not asking our community to target anyone.” This sounds incredibly disingenuous after proclaiming “If this is an uncomfortable situation for a convicted sex offender, that’s okay with us.” One could argue that your department is actually encouraging ostracism, threats, harassment, or assault of a registered sex offender. Nowhere in the story or on your website is there anything suggesting that criminal acts directed toward registrants would be prosecuted or otherwise not tolerated.
At the end of the day, the chief emphasized trusting your instincts and your gut. “Just be aware of your surroundings, make sure that you’re keyed into things that may look out of place, things that may not feel right, and please, what we encourage is never ever hesitate to dial 911.” Please explain why this particular piece of advice apparently only applies when sex offender registrants live nearby, or how it is different in neighborhoods where there are no registrant residents.
Again, what specific actions does your department recommend law-abiding county residents take with regards to protecting themselves from sex offender registrants? And how do those measures differ from protecting themselves from any other potential criminals? It’s curious, to say the least, that you didn’t answer the question posed in the title of the article.
Looking forward to your reply.
I can answer the question of what to do if a registrant moves into your community. LEAVE HIM THE F*** ALONE!!
This sheriff sounds like a real winner, saying he’s going to make sure the community knows where a PFR lives. What a way to stir up the hornet’s nest and incite the vigilantes.
What to do? Well, if I were the registrant I would let the neighbors know I am there to lower their property value and then I would state I will move if I get the right price (and give a high enough price to make a profit).
“At the end of the day, the chief emphasized trusting your instincts and your gut.”
LOL, anyone that “consults” the registry to “protect” their children is incapable of rational decision making based on instincts. People that are brainwashed with fear, hate and ignorance are dangerous!
What to do if I move into your neighborhood…
run like hell, sell your house, send your kids off to live in another country, coddle at home watching CSV or something similar, and by all means do not let your dogs, stuffed animal,s and/or dolls out for my consumption. Be forewarned!!!
Have you ever seen one of those PBS TV public service announcements “The More You Know” with the nifty jingle?
That’s what we need:
“Individuals convicted of sexual offenses actually have a less than 1% sex offense recidivism rate, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Children are much more likely to be molested by family members, friends, teachers, clergy, coaches or other individuals not listed on any sex offense registry. 🎶
The more you know.🎶”
Don’t know which one but one of my neighbors called the police and reported that I had a minor shoveling snow at my house. I had just returned from dropping this person off at their parents house down the road and turned into my dead end street. Two police cars came screaming up behind me and two cops came up to each of my windows. One older cop and one younger cop. The older on my side told me that they had a report that I had a minor at my home. I live in Penn, this happened about 4 years ago while I was still on the registry.
I told the cops there is no law that prohibits me from being around minors nor is there any court order doing the same. I told the cops that the guy shoveling my snow is not a minor but an adult. The younger cop said to me “You know, if you are lieing we will be arresting you”> I politely told him “No sir, you won’t be arresting me today”. The look on his face was priceless.
Meantime, another cop car (3 now) came up behind the other cop cars. This cop came over to the older cop next to my window and informed him that he had just spoken to the guy that was shoveling my driveway and checked his ID and he is in fact 21 years old. OUPS!! Embarrassing to say the least.
The older cop even admitted he did not know what the laws were for a registrant to be around minors. I told him politely that he should research the laws for the future and educate the other officers so they don’t make the same mistake again. They all apologized and the older cop even told me that I have “sh!ttys neighbors” for doing what they did to me and should just leave me in peace.
The guy I had shoveling my driveway and walk worked with me at my job in the past. I am disabled so I had him shoveling for me. From a distance he looks like he is in his low 20’s but up close he looks a bit older.
Nice to see the cops walk away with their tails tucked between their legs. At least they apologized to me and they really were embarrassed.
I was hoping they would arrest me though. I kept my cool. I was going to let them arrest me and they file false arrest charges afterwards. Arresting me for breaking a law that did not exist. That would have been a good one.
What is worse in a way, is:
“I just bought a new home and my next door neighbor is a sex offender. Can I sue the real estate company for failing to tell me?”
My neighbor on Facebook. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Responses varied from shoot him, burn his house to well dummy, why didn’t you look before you bought?
I’d rather live next to a registrant than a Q believer with a gun. If a person is such a danger to society why didn’t they get life in prison, so why does the public need a list for sex crimes, but not for other high re-offending crimes. I wonder how many people are so fearful of registrants, yet praise Donald Trump from ” grab them by the p”, she’s not my type, and other vulgar comments he’s made about women.