Boulder City to hold forum on sex crimes

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002 | 9:11 a.m.

Boulder City Police will hold a public forum tonight on laws covering sex crimes and how people can find out about offenders living in their community.

The meeting will feature Detective Erika Sloat, who investigates sex crimes for Boulder City Police, and representatives from two community organizations that help victims of these crimes. It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Boulder City Library, 701 Adams Blvd.

Sloat said she saw a need for the event after getting more than the usual number of calls from community residents about sex offenders in their neighborhoods in the last six months.

"The calls have been going up with high-profile cases like Danielle Van Dam on TV," Sloat said.

"This increases the fear but also the interest. So we need to increase the education to bring down the fear," she said.

The detective said the increased media coverage may give people the idea that the crimes are also on the rise.

"But FBI statistics show that it's flat over the last 10 years," she said.

As for those who want to know if there are offenders in their midst, Sloat said Nevada law only permits public disclosure of who are known as Level 3 offenders, or those considered at risk of committing another offense.

Some other states release information on Levels 2 and 3, she said.

Statewide, there are 38 Level 3 offenders registered with the Parole and Probation Division and the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety. None resides in Boulder City, Sloat said.