How well do you know your neighbors? If you're like many other busy, working American citizens you probably don't have the time to get to know your neighbors as well as you might like. This can be especially true for the parents of families with children. In many cases, there is simply too much to do in the short span of 24 hours to schedule in time for a meet and greet with the neighbors.
While time and interest may seem like reasonable enough excuses for your lack of knowledge about those who live next to you, it has proven to be deadly in some cases. What may have once seemed low on your priority list might need to be reevaluated upon hearing about situations such as the murder of Megan Kanka and the subsequent introduction of "Megan's Law."
On July 29, 1994 in New Jersey's small town of Mercer County, Megan Kanka was kidnapped, murdered and raped by her neighbor Jesse Timmendequas. Only seven at the time, Kanka was innocently lured into her neighbor's home without much coaxing. The child, like her neighbors, was willingly to trust the man who lived across the street from her.
While Timmendequas had already received two convictions for the sexual assault of young girls from his past, neighbors had no reason to suspect him of such offensive behavior. As is true of most neighboring people, dwellers in and around Barbara Lee Drive (the site of the murder) naturally assumed that their fellow resident upheld the same ethical standards of conduct as themselves. The entire incident begged the question: How well do you know your neighbors?
Only one month after the horrific murder, a series of bills was proposed and passed by the New Jersey General Assembly requiring sex offenders to register in a database that would notify community members whenever a registered sex offender moved into the area. These bills came as a direct result of the skepticism and questioning that arose after Megan's premature death. However, the well-intentioned acts still left room for error.
Today, more than 15 years after the Megan Kanka murder, law enforcement officers and legal institutions have enacted and put into practice a number of laws in the hopes of preventing another case such as Megan's. Appropriately coined "Megan's Law," the term refers to a number of different bills that stipulate the legal mandate of sex offender registration and publication. The type of data required to be made public varies from state to state, but generally information includes the name, address and photograph of the sexual offender, as well as the nature of the crime and their incarceration date.
No matter how much precaution anyone may take to identify with their neighbors and try to get to know the people they live next to, it is difficult to learn more than what is told to you. However, it is not always wise to trust the information you receive online or through word of mouth. Too often, this information is untrue, misleading or incomplete.
For example, anyone convicted of a sexual crime must register on the database regardless of their offense. This means that someone who exposed themselves in public will be affiliated with the same group of people who have committed acts of rape. On the same note, a romance between two young adults, one of whom is still a minor could be reported as statutory rape and require sexual offender registration. As you can see, the lines of sexual offense can easily be blurred and someone's name can quickly be slandered.
Once again, it begs the question: How well do you know your neighbors? Do you really know more about them than the information a friend has passed along to you? Have you taken the time to get to know the person and make your own judgments? These may seem like simple questions, but they can make a huge difference to someone's life. In the case of Megan Kanka, knowing that their new neighbor was a convict with a sexual record could have led to an entirely different outcome for the family. However, this is not always the case.
A media reports, newspaper article, word of mouth or database list can only tell you so much. It is up to you to make your own decisions. In some cases, statistics accurately reflect the nature of the crime but in others they are misrepresentative of the situation at hand. In the end, it comes down to you to take matters into your own hands; you must not be fooled by deceitful minds nor swayed by incomplete data.
