Reston-Herndon 2018 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

RESTON, VA — Before kids go out trick or treating on Halloween, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. We have mapped out registered sex offenders who live in the Reston and Herndon area.

You may want to avoid trick or treating at these houses, apartments or businesses on Halloween, or merely be aware of who's living and working in your neighborhood during the rest of the year.

The Virginia sex offender registry search tool allows users to zero in on their neighborhood.

Most Offenders Are Not Strangers

Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries can play only a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the child. The U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the National Sex Offender Public Website, estimates that only about 10 percent of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are strangers to the child.

The Justice Department estimates 60 percent of perpetrators are known to the child but are not family members but rather family friends, babysitters, child care providers and others, and 30 percent of child victims are abused by family members. Nearly a quarter of the abusers are under the age of 18, the department estimates.

• Sex Offender Advocates Object To Local Mapping Of Registered Sex Criminals
• Why Patch Publishes Sex Offender Registry Maps

Image via Shutterstock/Patch