Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 | 3:44 a.m.
A group of concerned North Las Vegas citizens heard a presentation Thursday night about sex offenders in their neighborhoods.
The group, the North Las Vegas Alliance of Homeowners and Concerned Citizens, heard from North Las Vegas Police Department Investigative Specialist Angie Blackwell and Detective Sgt. Justin Ryan.
Blackwell said that sex offenders are divided into three tiers, or levels of severity. Level 1 is the lowest, and Level 3 is the highest.
Factors such as violence, if the victim was a stranger and repeat offences help determine the offender’s tier rating, Blackwell said. Fourteen North Las Vegas residents are Level 3 offenders, she said.
During the meeting, the audience of about 15 residents learned that the sex offenders in their neighborhoods are required to be registered with the state. There are about 5,000 sex offenders in Clark County, and 387 of them live in North Las Vegas, Blackwell said.
Of those 387, 82 are on parole and probation with the state, meaning they are under close watch and can be searched at any time without a warrant, Blackwell said.
“It’s not to scare you; it’s just to make you aware — to know what’s going on in your neighborhood,” Blackwell said.
Whenever a registered sex offender moves into a neighborhood, Blackwell said, she mails out notices to every home within 1,000 feet.
Often, she said, sex offenders move after their neighbors are notified.
Bob Mersereau, president of the alliance of homeowners and concerned citizens, said his group meets monthly to discuss issues important to its members. Back in May, he said, some members had suggested sex offenders as a topic.
“We try to have topics that would be interesting to people,” he said.
The presentation took place at the Alexander Library, 1755 East Alexander Road, from about 5:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
The rest of the meeting included a discussion among about 10 concerned citizens, Councilman Richard Cherchio and Councilwoman Anita Wood.
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