(02-27-2002) - The case of Danielle van Dam only adds to the fears of parents. It's the fear of sexual predators; where they live, who they are, and how many are there?
The truth is, we really don't know how many sexual predators are out there.
“We don't have a good number on how many people are predisposed, because some of these people live their entire lives, one, without getting caught, or two, without ever acting on their impulses. But we have no idea how many people are out there with these types of behaviors buried in them,” said Sgt. Dave Jones of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Between 4,000 and 4,500 convicted sexual predators are registered in the county and they break down into two groups. The situational sex offender accounts for the majority of in-family molestation cases.
“It’s like an opportunistic burglar. They take what they can find. One time it might be a 14 or 15-year-old, the next time it might be a 35-year-old,” said Sgt. Jones.
The second type is the preferential sex offender.
“You could describe a preferential child molester, or the people called pedophiles, as a compulsive child molester," said Lt. William D. Southwell Sheriff's Department.
And, contrary to what you might think, this predator can look just like the person next door.
They tend to be intelligent. They tend to be successful, holding good jobs that pay well. They tend to be technologically adept, frequently meeting their prey on the internet, and they'll make careful plans to further that relationship.
According to the best studies, they are hard-wired to their perverted thoughts.
“They definitely have patterns of behavior that would be harder to change. It would be like saying can you go to therapy and become a heterosexual or a homosexual because of the therapy. I don’t think it works that way for preferential child molesters,” said Lt. Southwell.
To avoid this creep, talk to your kids about stranger dangers and make sure you keep talking.
“Absolutely most important is always maintain open lines of communication with your kids,” said Sgt. Jones.
And if you or your kids see something strange, report it.
(And keep your doors locked, don't invite groups of strangers over for late night pizza parties(!) and make it a habit of always checking on your children over the course of a day!) FDA