Not many details Here but it seems Boston libraries plan to post pictures of the area’s worst sex offenders so patrons and staff can keep an eye on them.
The move is raising concerns with civil liberties groups who say the policy is intrusive.
The policy comes after officials say they received complaints that a purported sex offender was lingering in the children’s section of a library branch.
Not my job
While I of course don’t condone the activities of child molesters I don’t think policing the library for criminals is my responsibility.
If someone is violating library policies, such as loitering in the children’s area, looking at pornography, or smoking in the boys room then certainly action should be taken. Those are libray policies, not parole violations of felony statutes.
If you want cops in the library then put them in the library (although that is another discussion). Librarians have work to do and checking patrons against wanted posters is not one of them. (However if Osama bin Laden pops up in the reference stacks I am turning him in, I could use the $25 million.)
Intrusive????
“The move is raising concerns with civil liberties groups who say the policy is intrusive.”
Sexually assaulting someone is intrusive too…
Re:Intrusive????
I couldn’t agree more. How about civil liberties groups protect victims for a change? Why don’t they leave their children with known offenders then?
Toss out the Pervs
I know this may not be the most popular solution, but if rapists and child molesters were branded with a big “P” on their foreheads–for PERVERT–and had to check in monthly with the police/parole officer for a haircut (so they couldn’t grow their hair long to cover the brand–we wouldn’t have to look at pictures to identify them–and children would know to avoid them as well. For those who think I’m kidding–I’m not. This is a type of criminal who is allowed to live and interact in our communities with our children and I want to know–and want our children to know–who they are dealing with and to stay away from them. What about my civil liberties and those of our children? We could have saved a lot of heartache for families who have lost children, wives, daughters and mothers to the criminals living among us.