The Granby Police Department’s authority to disseminate information on registered sex offenders is strictly regulated by the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB). Below are guidelines the Police must follow and information on how citizens can access information about registered sex offenders. For information about Level 2 Offenders, please visit the police department an fill out the request form for processing. For Level 1 offender information, please visit the Massachusetts SORB website.
User Acknowledgement and Acceptance
Sex offender registration information shall not be used to commit a crime against an offender or engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender. Any person who uses sex offender registration information for such purpose shall be punished by not more than two and one-half (2 ½) years in a house of correction or by fine of not more than $1000.00 or both. M.G.L. c. 6, § 178N.
Any person who uses sex offender registration information to threaten to commit a crime may be punished by a fine of not more than $100.00 or by imprisonment for not more than six months. M.G.L. c. 275, § 4.
General Information Regarding Sex Offenders
A sex offender is any person who resides, works or attends an institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth and who has been convicted of a sex offense, or who has been adjudicated as a youthful offender or as a delinquent juvenile by reason of a sex offense, or a person released from incarceration or parole or probation supervision or custody with the Department of Youth Services for such a conviction or adjudication, or a person who has been adjudicated a sexually dangerous person or a person released from civil commitment on or after August 1, 1981.
Sex offenders will be classified according to the degree of dangerousness they pose to the public and their likelihood for re-offense. An offender’s classification will be:
- Level 1 or “low risk” offender,
- Level 2 or “moderate risk” offender, or
- Level 3 or “high risk” offender
Where the Sex Offender Registry Board determines that the risk of reoffending by an offender is low and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public by that offender is not such that a public safety interest is served by public availability, the Board shall give that offender a Level 1 designation. Information on Level 1 offenders will not be available to the public. Neither the police nor the Board has the authority to disseminate information to the general public identifying a Level 1 offender. Information identifying Level 1 offenders may only be given to the Department of Correction, any county correctional facility, the Department of Youth Services, the Department of Social Services, the Parole Board, the Department of Probation and the Department of Mental Health, all city and town police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for law enforcement purposes.
Where the Board determines that the risk of reoffending is moderate and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public is such that a public safety interest is served by public availability of registration information, it shall give a level 2 designation to the sex offender.
The public shall have access to the information regarding a level 2 offender through the Groveland Police Department and through the Sex Offender Registry Board.
Where the Board determines that the risk of reoffending is high and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public is such that a substantial public safety interest is served by active dissemination, it shall give a level 3 designation to the sex offender.
The public shall have access to the information regarding a level 3 offender through the Groveland Police Department and through the Sex Offender Registry Board.
A Parents Guide For Preventing Child Abduction (All information below is Credited to the Haverhill Police Department)
Taking a proactive approach to the problem of abduction is the way to help prevent this from happening to someone you care about. Here are some of the proactive things that you can do:
Child molesters and abductors usually look like everyday people. Tell your kids not to talk to adults they do not know. Anytime they are approached by an adult they should check with a parent or trusted adult immediately.
How Child Molesters Gain A Child’s Confidence
Often times they will befriend a child by asking for help. Some examples are:
They may also gain your child’s trust by very minor contacts over several days, such as saying hello to them repeatedly. Make sure your children know to tell you if a stranger is trying to make friends with them.
Children Are Most Vulnerable When Alone
Individuals who prey on children wait for an opportunity when the child is alone. Children should not be outside their home by themselves, even for short periods of time. They should walk to and from school and bus stops in groups. Working together with other families in your neighborhood to develop a formal plan for kids to walk together is a good idea.
Tell Children To Stay Away From Cars
A car or other vehicle is often the means by which the abductor removes the child from the neighborhood. Children should never approach a vehicle unless they are absolutely sure they know the occupants. Abductors entice children to walk near their vehicles and then pull them inside.
If children routinely see the same car parked (or following them) on their normal walking routes (to and from school, etc.) they should report it to trusted adults immediately.
Role Play With Your Kids
Act like a stranger and see how your children react. Teach them the proper way to respond. Kids should:
If Children just scream, people may think they are only throwing a temper tantrum. The more you practice the better your children will be at responding to difficult situations.
What the Community Can Do: