Steve Jefferson/Eyewitness News
Aug. 25 - A new user friendly website locates sex offenders within seconds.
"As a child I was molested by a man who lived in our neighborhood." Victim Rebecca Long joined lawmakers and law enforcement leaders to promote familywatchdog.us .
The Sheriff's Association has its own website, but strongly supports Family Watchdog. The website even gives aerials and allows parents to zero in on every Indiana neighborhood.
Vigo County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Greg Ewing says, "This program will allow us to do that and tell us where a sex offender is within a five mile radius."
Major Steve Rogers adds, "This gives people the opportunity to go beyond their naive thought they would recognize a sex offender walking past their house."
Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson says his message to sex offenders is that "we are going to keep our eye on you. We will make sure you don't offend anymore."
But Indiana state Senator Jeff Drozda says the better technology isn't enough. Right now only sex offenders on parole or probation are kept 1,000 feet away from schools or daycares. Drozda wants them all kept away. "The bottom line is, you committed a heinous crime and you should not be permitted to live within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare facility."
Using a wireless laptop, familywatchdog.us not only showed sex offenders living downtown, but working even closer.
Convicted child molester Kenneth Stiles, rapist Ricky Rogers and child molester James Janke all work within blocks of the state capitol.
New legislation also matches police information with the BMV, FSSA and other agencies to hopefully stop repeat offenders.
Kelly Welby's daughter was a victim. "My daughter was hurt by the same man who hurt Rebecca. It took 30 years to prosecute this man."
That way parents and law enforcement agencies can track a sex offender's every move.
