Sex Offenders In Narragansett-South Kingstown: 2020 Safety Map

NARRAGANSETT-SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — Fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in the neighborhood. There are six registered sex offenders listed in the state registry as living in Narragansett and South Kingstown.

All are levels two or three, which have a high risk of re-offending and are considered to pose a moderate degree of danger to the public. The public can access information about both through local police departments and through the online registry.

These offenders are not wanted by police, and using this information to harass, discriminate against, or harm these individuals is against the law.

State law requires offenders to register an address if it's their primary residence, their place of employment, their post-secondary school location or a secondary address where they reside or visit for more than 14 days total throughout the year. Unlike some states, Rhode Island does not have a "no candy" law, which prohibits sex offenders from handing out candy on Halloween.

Pins on the map represent addresses of offenders convicted of sex crimes. Click on the pins, and you will see more information pop up, including the registered sex offender's name, address, current age, convictions, and the age of the offender and victim at the time of the offense. In some states sex offenders are not permitted to open their doors on Halloween.

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.

According to national safety statistics, a higher risk for children on the holiday is being hit by a car: Double the number of children are hit by cars on Halloween compared to other days of the year. Wearing a flammable costume too close to a fire is also a top safety issue that police and hospitals see. Wearing reflective gear and reminding children to be aware of their surroundings during their pillaging can be helpful, say experts.

Click on the icons for names and information on registered sex offenders in the area.