A similar nightmare haunts New Hampshire resident Jack Copeland. Even though he was cleared by police, his life has changed drastically since 1994, when he was wrongly accused of molesting his three grandchildren and listed as a child abuser in the state registry, according to a June Associated Press story. Meanwhile, a Los Angeles plan to distribute maps that show where sex offenders live near elementary schools triggered criticism from civil liberties advocates, who said that residents could use the information to harass or attack the offenders. They also said that the maps are based on a state computer database that is riddled with inaccuracies. Schroeder said the ACLU is against notification laws because they will not prevent sex offenders from committing crimes and because they victimize rehabilitated ex-offenders and their families.
Studies show that the majority of sex offenses are committed by a family member in the child's home.
Shelter for homeless youth was one of the problems studied by students as part of an ACLU project in Oakland, CA this summer. The students will publish a report on this year's journey and use it in presentations to high schools throughout Northern California in the coming year. Officer Paul Wells was checking out a bar in December 1996 when he saw Michael Theberge, whom Wells knew, holding what looked like a beer. Wells and another officer followed him home and broke open a door when they got no answer. The fear experienced by the The berges' that night is precisely what the Fourth Amendment was designed to prevent.