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!]
Well done on the comments within this article. I have one for wveryone that’s just plain crazy!
It should also be know that some states don’t even require an actual conviction to be listed on the registry. In the state of Florida even if you have a withheld adjudication and served no prison time you are listed. If you were serving any form of supervision for a sex crime at the time of it’s inception, in October 1994, you are included. It was considered retroactive.
This is pure nonsense. Reminds me of Polk County Sheriff….all they care about is “capturing people”, not helping people. Shouldn’t the real issue be HELPING people reinsert into the community to become “normal” citizens again…? Isn’t the goal of jail or prison sentences to be “rehabilitative”…? Why is it the goal to “capture” people instead of picking them up, dusting them off, and helping them on their way. This is what’s wrong with humanity, all we care about is how many people we can bring down instead of how many we can help up.
Certainly this will be challenged.
My ass!!!!!! I want to be able to walk around just like a thief. I want to live in a neighborhood just like an arson, I want to walk my child to school just like a man slaughter perp. Just because I am classified by the damn politicians as a sex offender…..does not give them the damn right to make me subject to a different set of laws.
Next stone in the foundation of the Police State