Green Bay to test Facebook for sex-offender alerts

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The city of Green Bay will be testing whether Facebook postings are an effective way to notify residents if a registered sex offender is moving into their neighborhoods.

For six months, police will use their department’s Facebook page for notifications whenever the Sex Offender Residency Board is scheduled to hear a local case, Press-Gazette Media reported.

The issue arose last summer when a convicted sex offender was granted permission to move into an east-side neighborhood. Aldermen Jerry Wiezbiskie complained that residents weren’t given enough advance notice of the man’s request.

The board approved the offender’s placement at his parents’ home but reversed its decision a few weeks later after hearing objections. The man served more than seven years for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

The City Council on Tuesday night directed police and the City Attorney’s office to test out the new notification process over a six-month period. Police Chief Tom Molitor said the plan would likely take shape in the next few weeks.

Information from: Press-Gazette Media, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com