Those who commit sexual acts upon children are among the lowest of the low.

They prey on the defenseless and the weak. Sex offenders have a twisted mentality that most of us will never understand.

Those who commit these acts deserve to have the book thrown at them, and when they are released back into the public they must be monitored closely because statistics show that many of these offenders will attack innocence again. 

In Bowling Green, 62 people are on the sex offender registry, which may be accessed online through the Kentucky State Police website.

We are fortunate in our community to have a police department that conducts sex offender compliance checks. The Bowling Green Police Department conducts compliance checks twice a year on every sex offender living in the city. Police check everything from addresses where the registrants are supposed to live to all other stipulations, such as living a certain distance from a school or day care, limited or no internet access and other restrictions. 

We’re glad that the police do these checks to ensure that sex offenders are in compliance with the terms of their release. The BGPD understands the public’s concerns when it pertains to sex offenders and it should be credited for seeing if these offenders are in compliance. 

This week, police checked nearly 50 registrants and made one arrest. Police, with the help of the Department of Homeland Security, arrested a lifetime sex offender registrant who is accused of advertising tutoring services on the Craigslist website.

Patrick H. Hicks was arrested and charged with three counts of failure to comply with the sex offender registry. He also allegedly had two unregistered email addresses. Part of his compliance requirements are that he registers all of his email addresses with probation and parole. 

Police are unsure exactly what the advertisement offered, but it is cases like this that show the importance of police officers making these checks on registered sex offenders.

Not only do police do these checks twice a year, the department also responds if someone calls in about an offender who is not in compliance. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office also answers these complaints and conducts regular compliance checks as well. 

We are very lucky to have two fine law enforcement departments that are looking out for our citizens and our children in conducting these checks and checking in on offenders who are not in compliance. 

It’s very much appreciated because people with kids and even those without need to know if there is a sex offender in their neighborhood and if they are in compliance.