Douglas County 2019 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Information

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Before kids go out trick or treating in Douglasville and Douglas County, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. To make it simple for parents across the state to protect their kids from dangers that may lurk in their neighborhoods or nearby, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation offers a searchable sex offender database on its website. That database contains the names, offenses and last known addresses of the state's registered sexual offenders and predators.

There are 249 registered sex offenders living in Douglas County in 2019, according to the GBI's database, with 241 listed as sexual offenders and eight listed as sexual predators.

You may want to avoid trick or treating at these houses and apartments on Halloween, or merely be aware of who's living in your neighborhood throughout the year.

The sexual offender records are entered on the registry by the Department of Corrections and State Board of Pardons and Paroles. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation enters the sexual offender records for the sexual offenders who move to Georgia from another state.

Sheriffs are responsible for updating all information provided by the sexual offender within two business days. The Sexual Offender Registry is updated daily with all record changes.

A sexual offender remains on the registry generally for life unless removed by order of a court or other legal means.

The GBI notes that it serves as the central "repository" for the state's Violent Sexual Offender Registry. However, readers should note the GBI makes every effort to ensure that the information online and provided below is "accurate."

"As the information is provided by other agencies and entities and is continuously changing, the GBI makes no promise or any express or implied guarantee concerning the accuracy of this information," the state said.

You can learn more about the statewide registry by clicking here.

As you embark on your own investigation, you should keep in mind that the information unearthed on the state database should be used for informative and safety purposes only. The GBI notes that the misuse of these details to threaten, harass or intimidate someone could lead to criminal charges.

Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries can play only a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the child.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the National Sex Offender Public Website, estimates that only about 10 percent of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are strangers to the child.

The Justice Department estimates 60 percent of perpetrators are known to the child but are not family members. Rather, they are family friends, babysitters, child care providers and others, and 30 percent of child victims are abused by family members. Nearly a quarter of the abusers are under the age of 18, the department estimates.

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Patch Editor Kathleen Sturgeon contributed to this story.