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Amber Alerts and Sexual Offender Registry Might Be Cut By F-D-L-E Save Email Print
Posted: 3:24 PM Nov 13, 2008
Last Updated: 9:17 AM Nov 14, 2008
Reporter: Whitney Ray


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Declining state revenues could cause Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement to ax programs that keep our kids safe.

Amber Alerts and sex offender warnings could be a thing of the past if the state’s financial woes continue.

When a child is missing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement springs into action.

But Amber Alerts could be a thing of the past in Florida. The program ended up on a list of things FDLE would get rid of if it was forced to cut its budget by 10 percent.

The sex offender registry, where 44,000 people signed up to be notified when a sex offender moves near by, is also on the cut list.

FDLE Spokeswoman Heather Smith says after two years of shrinking budgets, there are no safe places to make changes.

“We have already seen some cuts at FDLE and any additional cuts are going to be painful for us.”

Bethany Faison has three kids. She says parents rely on the FDLE programs to keep their kids safe from predators.

“I think it’s probably the worst think they could cut actually.”

If FDLE has to make the full 18 million dollars in cuts, Amber Alerts and the Sex Offender registry would have to go. Cuts less than 10% would keep them off the chopping block.

Statistics show that crime increases when the economy tanks. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer is warning lawmakers that if FDLE was hit too hard by budget cuts, public safety would be at risk.

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Posted by: Magister Location: SW Florida on Nov 16, 2008 at 05:42 PM
I have NO idea why they would cut the Amber Alerts. That just seems crazy to me. There are so many laws and ordinances that have been passed in the State of Florida that are costing us HUGE $$$$$ that could be done a better way or cut out but what do they go after??? Amber Alerts, one of the few things that makes sense in child protection. Residency restrictions cost the State a lot of money to implement and enforce and they have been proven over and over again to have NO IMPACT on sexual re offense. Why can we not learn from experience and use that money for things that DO WORK and WILL protect our children. You have no idea the ridiculous lengths our government goes to that wastes our tax money. Zero Tolerance is one of those. Sounds good right?! You would think that LE would be using SOME reason and thought when zero tolerance is involved! But NOPE they don't. Keeping those violated in jail and a trial just to let them go again costs a fortune. You just don't know!

Posted by: Sandra Roe O'connor Location: lynn haven on Nov 16, 2008 at 01:01 PM
Why in the world would they cut the sexual offender registry or amber alerts. This is something the public needs to know.

Posted by: Magister Location: SWF on Nov 16, 2008 at 09:33 AM
Have you ever read "Ghosts in the System"? It talks about all the dead, deported, moved out of State, or people who have just visited Florida and were made to register and have never been back, those people are all still on our state registry. If we DID have the huge amount of registered offenders in the state, and these people DID have a high reoffense rate, we would be being molested several times a day! Thing is, many of those "offenders" can be productive members of society instead of the lepers many uninformed people who are bent on REVENGE instead of REHABILITATION. REVENGE helps no one. It truly is a simple matter of educating yourself instead of listening to the sensationalized self serving bull hockey that you are being fed by the Media and the Politicians. These Politicians have painted themselves into a corner. They have lied to you for so long, and now that they need that money they have wasted, how do they tell the public the truth???

Posted by: Magister Location: SW Florida on Nov 16, 2008 at 07:32 AM
OH and by the way, before you ask, no I am not a sex offender or married to one either. I am a middle aged Christian woman retired from hospice work.

Posted by: Magister Location: SW Florida on Nov 16, 2008 at 07:30 AM
The problem on all sides here is truly the lack of education. We cannot look for a groundhog if we are looking up in the air. We MUST educate ourselves. Those of you who are siting high reoffence of sex offenders then come up with the studies for this. I can give you at least 10 studies right off the top of my head that say the re offense figures are the lowest of all criminals except murderers. Why do you want to impose laws that the professionals all state could increase reoffense instead of lower it. IF you want to know where sex offenders ARE why are you passing laws to increase homelessness and transience and making it more difficult to find them? Wrong headiness all the way. Again I ask, how far would YOU go to protect your family. Well guess what Virginia, there ARE sex offenders with families that they need to provide for. Please lets use some common sense here and have a REAL dialogue on this issue. It is possible. The children would benefit greatly.

Posted by: Mike Location: Pensacola on Nov 15, 2008 at 10:07 PM
J.Lee, weather I am close to a sexual offender is none of your business. As a matter of fact my life as a whole is none if anyone's business. Now...the email registration is NOT a part of registration. Because ANYONE can get online and locate a sex offender. Therefor the email registration is a needless program. Now....I want to address your information about re-offending sex offenders. You keep spouting about how high it is.....Well.....how high is it???? Where are your FACTS....Where is your study??? What evidence can you bring to support your claim. You say that the rate of sex offender is higher than most offenders...PROVE IT!! I want to see it.

Posted by: J.Lee Location: Panama City on Nov 15, 2008 at 07:56 PM
Mike.....I gotta tell you that you seem as though you may be a little close with a sexual offender. Although the numbers posted by, "in the system," seem a little high, and, there are Romeo and Juliet cases, (where boyfriend gets caught sexually involved with girlfriend,) the rate of re-offending is higher amongst sexual offenders than most other types of offenders. People do need to realize that sexual offenders will still have to register, this e-mail system is a small part of the whole registration process, which is an extremely needed system for the protection of families / children in our area.

Posted by: Frank on Nov 15, 2008 at 01:20 AM
In The System...I agree with Mike. To say "All" repeat is a bold statement. Maybe a majority do repeat those crimes, but there are also some that do not. I know of people who were in high school dating other high schoolers, and yet because someones parents didn't like them dating someone, they got them in trouble through the legal system due to them being on the cusp of legal age limits (i.e., 18 dating 16) I don't see anything wrong with it. There was no real crime being committed. But now they have to live the rest of their lives with that criminal record. And to people who don't know the facts, they appear to be a horrible person.

Posted by: Mike Location: Pensacola on Nov 14, 2008 at 09:49 PM
In the System...sounds like your just as uneducated as the rest of America who listens to the media and you will probably vote for the politician who continues to punish the sex offenders who have served their time. So let me ask you a question smart guy...Who told YOU that "ALL" sex offenders will "wait years", to use your own words, just to re-offend again. Where do you get your FACTS? Who told you the recidivism rates where that high? The statement you made was very uneducated and uninformed Don't spread the fear that the politician's are doing just to get a vote. Become aware of the facts. Go see www.uncomfortabletruth.org and you can read the truth for yourself!!! And, after you read the info, don't come back here and spread junk....this is not the time in history for it!

Posted by: Miggity on Nov 14, 2008 at 06:15 PM
George, I'm with you on increasing some DWI fees to help protect young children.

Posted by: George Location: Lynn Haven on Nov 14, 2008 at 03:16 PM
What they should do is raise bond and bail prices to backup what they can, along with DUI charges.

Posted by: In the System Location: Panama City on Nov 14, 2008 at 09:08 AM
EVERY convicted sex offender is dangerous and a threat to my community and I want to know who they are and where they live. They are always repeat offenders. So, "Mike", name me the person with the god-like power to ascertain who will or will not continue their perversions on unsuspecting victims after the heat dies down. Many wait years, but their old patterns return, usually in an escalated manner.

Posted by: Tom Location: PCB on Nov 14, 2008 at 08:32 AM
Yet at the same time, "Governor Charlie Crist has created a Silver Alert system in Florida. Similar to Amber Alerts, the Silver alert is designed to create a wide spread lookout for seniors who wander from their surroundings." Ah... ok, that's a little confusing!?

Posted by: The Fallen One Location: Cincinnati on Nov 14, 2008 at 08:29 AM
Only 44,000 people signed up for e-mail alerts out of a state with 16 MILLION citizens? Sounds like a waste of money to me. Money is better spent on programs that WORK, like prevention and treatment strategies. In a time where the populace is going to pay thousands in taxes to rich bank execs who tanked our economy, FLA is trying to push the Walsh Act, which will bleed the state dry: http://www.oncefallen.com/AdamWalshAct.html ADDENDUM (9-11-08) http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/08-08_FAC_SORNACosts_JJ.pdf The Justice Policy Institute just released a study which shows the annual cost of implementing SORNA (the national registry) far exceeds the amount that would be lost in Byrne Grant funding" Of course, the Walsh Act is much more than the registry, its a child abuse registry, civil commitment, mandatory minimums, GPS, and other pork projects. The laws are at best, a placebo effect

Posted by: Mike Location: Pensacola on Nov 13, 2008 at 10:08 PM
I think this article needs clarification. The sex offender registry (itself) will not be cut, just the email notification. This is not a necessary part of the registry. The vision of the original sex offender registry that was outlined by the Jacob Wetterling (which was part of the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994) was to give law enforcement the exact location(s) of sex offenders. It was a law enforcement tool. (And a good one at that). The only sex offenders who where made public were the ones who were a possible threat to the community and notification was for the communities safety. Then the registry was perverted by Megan's law and it has gone down hill since. There is no reason for the public to know where EVERY former sex offender lives. Professionals have the RESPONSIBILITY to make the determination on who might re-offend again. It is not for the public to decide. If we list only those who might be dangerous, the police can do thier job!!

Posted by: Magister Location: SW Florida on Nov 13, 2008 at 08:31 PM
I often just have to shake my head at what our legislators do and the priorities they have. There are some false amber alerts, where the teen just ran away or something but the amber alert system is a fantastic tool. It has made a difference all over the nation. That is the LAST thing we should cut. I could go on for hours about the ways that the State of Florida is wasting money and other valuable resources in some of the things they are doing regarding former sex offenders. They have passed very expensive, ineffective laws that actually cause more harm than good for our children. The public has been hoodwinked for a long time and actually resists the truth about WHO is most likely to molest your child and how to avoid that. The media continues the myths to get ratings and the politicians do it to get votes. Visit www.uncomfortabletruth for more information on how to protect your children. I can be contacted thru the web site if you want more info.

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