DeKalb County 2018 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Before kids go out trick or treating on Halloween, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. DeKalb County currently has 1,994 registered sex offenders listed on the Georgia Sex Offender Registry.

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 database. That database contains the names, offenses and last known addresses of the state's registered sexual offenders and predators.

The below map lists the number Georgia Sex Offenders By County. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reports the number of out-of-state offenders is 6,759 and incarcerated offenders is 4,603, for a total of 31, 480 sex offenders. Incarcerated offenders have been removed from each counties' total.

Source: Source: Georgia Sex Offender Registry Updated 10/1/2018

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.

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 during the rest of the year.

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 but rather 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.

Patch Editor Kristal Dixon contributed to this reporting.

Source: Georgia Sex Offender Registry

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