GROUP: SEX-OFFENDER SCRUTINY PAYING OFF

Newsday/Laura Figueroa
3/14/14
Dozens of registered sex offenders living in Suffolk County provided inaccurate addresses inthe year since county lawmakers passed a law to intensify monitoring of the ex-convicts, and morethan 140 others were found to have violated rules requiring them to update their photos on a stateregistry.  Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law, contracted by thecounty last year to monitor more than 900 registered sex offenders, told lawmakers yesterday thatthe increased scrutiny has led to an increase in arrests for violating state reportingrequirements.  It's not necessarily about arrests and convictions.  It's about ensuringthat this [sex offender] registry is what it's supposed to be, Ahearn said.  It's supposedto be a tool for the community to use to protect themselves and their children. 
(New York)