Police Chief Mitch Bates notified the Council Friday that the Police Department and the city's GIS Department had created a website that mapped where sex offenders are living within the city.

Chief Bates says,

You can access it via the Garland Police website www.garlandpolice.com (click on "Registered Sex Offenders" on lower-right side of webpage) or via the GIS website www.garlandgis.com (click on "Sex Offenders Map" on left-middle side of webpage).   Once you enter the map, you can obtain a significant amount of information by placing the cursor/pointer on a red dot (indicating a RSO resides at the location) and clicking on it. You can also zoom in/out on the map to see specific streets, etc. The information provided includes: Photo of RSO (Registered Sex Offender) Name Address Age Race Gender Offense Victim Risk Level Police District Map Page

An element of the information I hadn't previously noticed was the risk level. While I would remain cautious, the information does put some perspective to the whole issue of sex offenders in the community. Obviously, some would not be as serious a threat as others. Having the risk scale does give some confidence deciding which offenders deserve the most caution.

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