Flawed sex offender tracking leads to wrong door

Las Vegas Sun ^ | 18 nov 07 | Abigail Goldman

[rellimpank]

It's worse during the holidays. Christmas, New Year's, Halloween. That's when they really start knocking. Calling him out in the middle of the night. Showing up at his stoop in angry packs.

"Christopher," they wheeze through the front door, "Christopherrrrrr - we know you're in there ... "

Christopher Risdon is a 35-year-old sex offender who was busted for child porn. But Risdon doesn't live at this Tropicana Avenue apartment. Hasn't for years. So when the curious (if that's really all they are) come calling, they're now ringing the wrong doorbell. Despite what sex offender-tracking Web sites say, this apartment belongs to Harry Berlin, 71 years old, frail and, frankly, petrified.

"I'm a nervous wreck," he says, holding out his hands. They quake like palsy.

[VaFarmer]

Sounds like a database maintenance problem, not an issue with the rationale for the publication of the database.

On the other hand, I’d be more comfortable if I thought that “sex crime” wasn’t such an amorphous category. Who knows what an offender actually DID? All we know is that it was sexual in nature. The offender might or might not be any kind of threat to me or mine.

[jwparkerjr]

In some jurisdictions being convicted of urinating in public gets you on the state’s list of convicted sex offenders.

Governments can do nothing well, and protect themselves by granting themselves unlimited power to take on projects and limitless protection for the mistakes they are bound to make.

It might seem like a good deal when government wants to take over something and assume the costs of it, but it never goes well. Period.

[rellimpank]

--agreed--the proper way for children to never get exposed to sex offenders is by having a good set of parents.

That will cover practically all the bases without the "government" having anything to do with it--

[abigkahuna]

I remember a friend telling me about a friend of his (yeah I know, I know) But, this guy was caught taking a leak in an alley behind a bar in WA State. Forever now, this guy has to register as a sex offender.

I think that there should be a public urination ticket/fine for such offenses.

[mysterio]

Harry Berlin should sue the state if they don't correct their error by moving him to another address. The state should leave the apartment empty and set up hidden cameras to find out who is playing vigilante. The vigilantes should be prosecuted.

Problem solved.