May 16, 2008
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM TO FOCUS ON SEX OFFENDERS 

Want to know about convicted sex offenders who might be living in your neighborhood? Interested in finding out about law enforcement’s efforts to monitor sex offenders? Information on this and more will be shared with residents during a community forum Wednesday night in Port Orange. Co-hosted by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday’s forum will focus on how residents can assess potential public safety risks posed by sex offenders in the community. Other sponsors of the forum include the Port Orange Police Department, the State Attorney’s Office and the Volusia Crime Prevention Association. “Information and awareness are the keys to crime prevention,” said Sheriff Ben Johnson. “There will be lots of very useful information at Wednesday’s forum, and we encourage residents to come out, talk to law enforcement and learn how they can use this information to protect themselves and their families.” 

Wednesday’s meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Port Orange City Council chambers, 1000 City Center Circle. Representatives of the Port Orange Police Department are scheduled to talk about the city’s Sex Offender Accountability Program, or SOAP. The Sheriff’s Office is expected to make a presentation about a new sex offender alert system, OffenderWatch, that the agency launched last week on its web site (www.volusia.org/sheriff). A representative from the Sheriff’s Office’s Career Criminal Unit also will discuss how the unit tracks and monitors convicted sex offenders in the county. State Attorney John Tanner also is scheduled to be on-hand to answer questions. 

Wednesday’s forum is free to the public.