The Neosho Police Department and the Neosho Rec-Plex held a seminar on how to protect area children from child predators Monday evening at the Lampo Community Building.

 “It is a matter of getting this information out to the people,” said Neosho Police Sgt. Peter Russell, who conducted the seminar. “Neosho has 22-plus sex offenders who live in the city limits of Neosho alone, and 95 live in Newton County. And Neosho being a large economic hub for Newton County, a lot of those same people come to Neosho to shop or see things that are going on like community events. Technically speaking, you have almost 120 sex offenders coming into Neosho on almost a daily basis.”

The idea for the seminar, which had low attendance, came after officers received calls from several residents who identified someone who was conducting suspicious behavior near the ballfields at Morse Park.

“We initiated contact with that person, and sure enough, he was doing undesirable behavior in our parks,” Russell confirmed.

Russell said education among both parents and children is the “No. 1 key” to prevent being a victim of a sex crime.

“If parents are educated, they can keep their children out of situations that can lead to instances of victimization. Education is also key if sex crimes are going on and parents are able to detect it before any more damage to the child is done. A lot of times we find that parents don’t know because they are ignorant to the facts, and this type of abuse can go on for years.”

During the seminar, Russell provided behavioral patterns of sex offenders.

According to Russell, sex offenders have the following traits:

n Most offenders commit multiple crimes against multiple types of victims with whom they have varying types of relationships.

n Sex offenders rarely commit one type of offense. Many offenders have no official criminal record or sex crime history of any kind.

n The majority of offenses (80-95 percent) are committed by someone the victim knows.

n Sexual deviancy often begins in adolescence.

n Sex offenders usually do not commit their crimes impulsively. They usually carefully plan their crimes.

n 60 percent of convicted sex offenders are on probation or parole.

“A sexual predator can be a man or woman, and age is not a factor at all,” Russell said.
“It is about their behavior, not about the individual person.”

Russell listed the following adult behaviors that may signal sexual interest in children:

n Refuses to let a child set any of his or her own limitations.

n Insists on hugging, touching, kissing, tickling, wrestling or holding a child even when the child does not want this affection.

n Manages to get time along or insists on time along with a child without interruptions.

n Spends most of his/her spare time with children and has little interest in spending time with someone their own age.

n Buys children expensive gifts or gives them money for no apparent reason.

n Frequently walks in on children/teens in the bathroom.

n Allows children or teens to consistently get away with inappropriate behaviors.

n Encourages silence and secrets with children.

n Talks about sexual fantasies with children and is not clear about what’s OK with children.

n Looks at child pornography.

During his speech, Russell provides safety tips provided by a convicted child molester.

The tips are:

n Give quality love, time and attention to your child so that he or she won’t look for it elsewhere.

n Know the people who are involved with your child who are in a position of trust, or even a relative or close friend.

n Be aware of an adult or older child who spends a large amount of time with your child, or seems to be focused on your child.

n Be aware if your child is avoiding a particular person that they used to be comfortable with.

n Be aware if your child is spending a lot of time with, or talking about, an adult or someone older who is not a parent or guardian.

n If you suspect that your child has been abused, ask him or her in a caring, non-threatening way. Do not accuse.

n Let your child know that he or she does not have to keep secrets. Many times shame will keep a child silent.

The known and convicted sex offender list is maintained by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, and can be viewed at http://nc-so.org.

If civic or church groups would like the Neosho Police Department to conduct this seminar at a meeting, call 451-8333 for more information.