Crack Down on Sex Offenders
By:
Updated: April 17, 2007
Arkansas is one of about 14 states this year to enact tougher sex offender laws. KNWAs Meghan Dill reports.
Governor Mike Huckabee is making stricter laws; by increasing jail time, requiring tracking devices, and making sex offenders register every year with local law enforcement.
There are nearly 55 hundred registered sex offenders in Arkansas. Washington County actually has the second highest number of registered sex offenders. We spoke with Fayetteville Sergeant Bill Phelan about why the number of sexual offenders is so high.
"With the computer age I think its opened up a whole new door. They are able to go out and experience things on a computer that entices them to do things they wouldn`t have done before."
The Childrens Safety Center of Northwest Arkansas says they do all they can to ensure a sexual offender is punished to the fullest. They are equipped with high-tech equipment and trained counselors.
So who should parents be on the look out for? Statistics show sexual abuse of a child is usually from a family member, neighbor, or someone your child knows. But whomever its from, child advocates say the damage lasts a lifetime.
Just last month Arkansas State Police reported 41 sexual allegations in Washington County, 57 percent were founded.
