Track Sexual Predators Before You Trick or Treat

Parents hoping to map out a safe route for their little ghosts and goblins this Halloween might want to pay a visit to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website before they head out the door.

There they’ll find a handy tool that enables easy mapping of the addresses of known sexual offenders and predators in their neighborhoods.

The state of Florida has more than 57,000 registered sexual offenders, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The state also has the dubious distinction of having one of the highest proportions of sex offenders by population. In 2011, the Sentinel said, there were 307 registered offenders per 100,000 residents, topping both California and Texas for population density.

FDLE’s online mapping tool is free and easy to use. Parents can just plug in their home address and choose the radius they want to map. The options range from a 1/4-mile to 5 miles out for the radius search. Results can be presented either in map format or in a list. Parents also gain access to fliers on each of the sexual offenders or predators in their area so they can see photographs of the individuals and read more about the crimes they’ve been convicted of committing.

To find out if there are sexual offenders or predators in your neighborhood, just visit the FDLE online.