Protecting Your Kids From Predators

Tools

By Sade Malloy

Story Published: Sep 29, 2009 at 5:46 PM PDT

Union Gap -- Keeping school students safe in a community peppered with registered sex offenders can be a frightening responsibility. However, a piece of new technology has given one local school the edge.

These are the faces of the more than 800 sex offenders in the Yakima Valley. Men and women being tracked for committing horrible crimes against children.

"Safety in school has changed over the last 10-20 years now it's one of the most important things you can do in a facility," says Kurt Hilyard, Union Gap School District, Superintendent.

According to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs there are 7 sex offenders living within 2 miles of the school. To keep their students safe from sexual predators the Union Gap School has a new security check.

Visitors now have to get their i.d. scanned and checked in a national database of sex offenders. And as long as no warnings come up you get a visitors pass to roam free.

"It's a little scary thinking about what they have to do to keep our kids safe, it's a change of the times and I hope it gets better," says Jordan Gonzalez, Union Gap School, parent.

We pulled the numbers and over the past five years the number of sex offenders living in the Valley has gone up by over 100 people. Just yesterday the Union Gap School sent home a letter warning parents of a suspicious man hanging outside school in Wapato.

"If it protects one child it's well worth the money that we spent on it," says
Hilyard.

The new technology only cost the school $5,000 and is money coming out of their furniture fund. Consider it a cheap insurance policy for your most precious possession.

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

On Demand

Stay Connected