Sex Offender Facial Recognition System (WITH FAC COMMENT)
MASON CITY, Iowa – More sex offenders could soon be off of the streets thanks to a new project that will help identify them.
[FAC COMMENT: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? “OFF THE STREETS”? IF THEY ARE NOT IN JAIL, THEY PRESUMABLY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR SENTENCES. WHY WOULD THEY NEED TO BE OFF THE STREETS?]
The Iowa Department of Public Safety is currently seeking funds that will be used to create a state-wide facial recognition system to identify sexual offenders.
[FAC COMMENT: ANOTHER HUGE WASTE OF MONEY]
Once the software is in place, it will connect with other databases and cross-reference sex offenders through photos using a biometric system.
“It’ll be a great advantage for law-enforcement because potentially we’re going to get some alerts on sex offenders in places and then I suppose it will be a better public safety basically and holding the sex offenders accountable,’ says Sheriff Kevin Pals, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department.
[FAC COMMENT: THE ARTICLE DOESN’T MENTION IT WILL BE USED IN ANY SPECIFIC PLACES LIKE SCHOOLS OR DAY CARES… IT SAYS ‘OFF THE STREETS’. AGAIN, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?]
Mary Ingham, the Executive Director of Crisis Intervention in Mason City, says the program sounds good in theory but has its limitations.
“I think any other resources that law enforcement can use to better track registered sex offender’s is obviously great, but there’s also the downside of that where I become concerned is that then sometimes community members might not realize that the only people on the sex offender registries are the people that have been convicted of sex offenses,” says Ingham.
[FAC COMMENT: MARY INGHAM SEEMS VERY INSIGHTFUL]
Sheriff Kevin Pals says their goal is to capture as many sex offenders as possible.
[FAC COMMENT: WHY IS THE GOAL TO CAPTURE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE? SHOULDN’T THE GOAL BE TO SEE AS MANY FORMER REGISTRANTS BE PRODUCTIVE AND LIVE LAW ABIDING LIVES? SHERIFF, ARE YOU AN ADVOCATE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OR ARE YOU A FISHERMAN?]
“To stop some of that sneakiness and actions from these people even though there they know that they’re not supposed to have a Facebook page or social media outlets, we can catch them doing something wrong,” says Pals.
[FAC COMMENT: WAKE UP SHERIFF PALS AND READ THE STUDIES. “SEX OFFENDERS” HAVE A VERY LOW RATE OF RECIDIVISM. “SNEAKINESS” SHOWS VERY LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ON THE SUBJECT.]
As for Mary, she says she hopes the victims of sex crimes will also be taken into consideration.
“Where is the state really balanced where is the best use of our money? Is it for technology for facial recognition for a handful of sex offenders or is it to make sure that children that are sexually abused are getting the therapy that they need close to home?”
[FAC COMMENT: AMEN, MARY!]
Shouldn’t we be really concerned with what Obama has done by signing the international Megan’s law bill. That bill has made it impossible for us to travel anywhere in the world now. It puts our lives and traveling partners and family’s lives at risk.
Correct – that is why we have a challenge to it.
Why are they wasting all this money to search for EX-Sex Offenders ?? Why wouldn’t they just go to the address that the Ex-Offender has listed as their address ?? Why waste thousands of dollars on someone that’s not missing or hasn’t broken any other (Draconian) laws ???. It’s just an excuse to implement another way to violate our rights !! In the name of Justice !! . What has this Country redused itself to ?? Wake Up America !!!
Everything is wrong with this sheriff. By the communication written i could easily see the lack of schooling. How can we expect him to understand that it is better to prevent a crime than punish a criminal. The biometric will not tell them who the next sex offender is. There is a difference between a registrant and a sex offender. A registrant is a person that was a sex offender while a sex offender is a person that is not yet a registrant. Remember a person that is trying to call attention is because he is not competent on what he is supposed to do.
Ike – I like the saying, “it is better to prevent a crime than punish a criminal”. We will use it!