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REPORTERS & COLUMNISTS
John P. Anderson, Sheriff-Coroner
Contact: Erica H. Stuart, P.I.O.
Phone: (559) 675-7976
Pager: (559) 661-6831
E-Mail: estuart@madera-county.com
DATE: Wednesday October 26, 2011
TO: NEWS MEDIA
RE: SHERIFF ANDERSON LAUNCHES SEX OFFENDER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Do you know whether or not a sex offender lives near you? Did you know that Sheriff John Anderson launched a fast and free way to access the names, addresses and maps of more than 300 sex offenders registered throughout Madera County?
Searching the internet can be risky … especially when typing in seemingly benign words that end up taking you to a site that is anything but secure.
As the annual night of Trick-or-Treating approaches, Sheriff Anderson asks, don't you want to know which address to avoid before you and your little ones venture out Halloween night?
In an effort to arm parents with critical information intended to keep our children safe, Sheriff Anderson is set to launch a public awareness campaign tomorrow.
DATE: Friday October 28, 2011
TIME: 10:00 AM
PLACE: Madera County Sheriff's Department, 14143 Road 28, Madera
Sheriff Anderson created a link on the Madera Sheriff's webpage that directs parents to California's sex offender data base.
And while everyone has heard of "Meagan's Law," how many people actually access this public site? The site is not only secure, it's free.
While there are a number of valuable web sites that also provide data specific to the cities and counties in which we live … a good number of them are costly.
Sheriff Anderson understands these cash strapped times and believes tax payers shouldn't have to pay a penny to access free information that by law every parent has a right to know.
To make the process simpler for parents, Sheriff Anderson says all they have to do is log on to the Madera County Sheriff's website: http://www.madera-county.com/sheriff click on Madera County Registered Sex Offender prominently placed at the top of the page
Once parents have read the legal disclaimer about using the site, they can quickly access information by searching names, addresses, counties, cities or zip codes. They can also access data by searching county parks and schools. The site will also provide a map of areas where a registered sex offender lives.
Sheriff Anderson is urging all parents to take advantage this site which is offered in both English and Spanish.
Halloween should be fun … and must be safe. Knowing who you neighbors are, he adds, isn't enough. No child should ever trick-or-treat without a guardian at his or her side.
