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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Thousands of Registered Sex Offenders Nationwide; Protect Your Children

Aired April 18, 2005 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Hey, Lou, thanks very much.
Hundreds of thousands of sexual predators, living free and maybe near your family. What can you do to keep your kids safe? A special edition of 360 starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(voice-over): Sarah Lunde, a 13-year-old girl with a troubled past, allegedly killed by an convicted sex offender who dated her mother. Tonight, what really happened inside the Lunde's home? Why was Sarah all alone?

What's the best way to protect your kids? Crime fighter John Walsh joins us live to talk about Sarah, sex offenders, and what you can do to stop them.

How many sex offenders live in your neighborhood? Tonight we'll tell you how to check and what to do with the information you find.

Fighting back: a young girl who faced down her attacker. What she did to save her life and what your child should know before heading out the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live, from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe."

COOPER (on camera): Good evening.

For the family and friends of Sarah Michelle Lunde, the hope is gone. Sarah was found this weekend, dead, her body partially submerged in a pond not far from her home. She was just 13 years old.

Today, this convicted sex offender, who at one point dated Sarah's mother, was charged with the murder. Now, we can tell you that sexual violent crimes are down. We can tell that you sexual violence against kids is down and all that is true. But statistics don't mean much right now to Sarah's family. What can we do? What can any of us do to stop sexual predators, to protect our kids in our neighborhood. That's our focus in this hour.

In a moment we're going to talk with John Walsh from America's Most Wanted. But first, CNN's Rick Sanchez looked into the life of Sarah and the man accused of her murder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is a convicted rapist, a registered sexual offender, a life seemingly patterned on missteps and malice. She was a young girl with an infectious smile, who had finally put it all together and was loving life like never before.

(on camera): If there's a time and a place where these two lives begin to intersect, it happened here in Ruskin when Sarah's mother begins to do what, well, what single mothers do. She began to look for a male companion. She chose poorly, though, for herself, and maybe more importantly, for her daughter, when she befriended David Onstott.

David Onstott grew up near Tampa. Only 36, the last 10 years of his life have gone from bad to worse. In 1995, he was convicted of raping a woman after knocking on her door and throwing her to the ground. He served six years. Then he was charged, but acquitted, of attacking a man with a machete, and here's how police now describe his latest alleged crime.

DAVID GEE, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: The defendant put the victim in a chokehold causing her to become unconscious and eventually causing her death.

SANCHEZ: We found and paid a visit to Onstott's home, talked to his friends, talked to his lawyers, sought out his father. No one was willing to talk on camera.

Sarah Lunde was a shy, distant girl, with a history of emotional problems. Until she found her way here, to the First Apostolic Church in Florida. We had no problem getting people to talk about her.

MATT FONTANA, YOUTH MINISTER: No one from her family came to the church but she made a point to always be here. She would sit on the first or second row.

SANCHEZ: Sarah was overcoming adversity, even if she had to do it all alone. She was impressing all around her.

SHERI COOK, PASTOR'S WIFE: She was irresistible. We all just took her in. We all felt that way about her.

SANCHEZ: Sheri Cook is the pastor's wife and she says, like a mom to Sarah.

COOK: Earlier, we were hoping, we were preparing her for her future. We had no idea we were preparing her for eternity.

SANCHEZ: Two people, two lives, heading in different directions, that crossed paths one final time when Onstott came looking for the woman he once dated, Sarah's mom.

What you're looking at here is a makeshift memorial. It's been put together by many of the people who live in the town. They come by from time to time and they leave messages for Sarah and for her family. We read some of them that say things like, "from our family to yours, all our love, all our prayers."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Sarah Lunde may not have been the most popular girl in this community, and this church that you see behind me that we've gotten to know so well is probably not even one of the most well- attended churches in this community. The pastor and his wife tell me that often times they only have 50 or 75 people coming to Sunday services. But something has happened as they get ready, Anderson to plan this funeral. What they are finding out is that this church suddenly isn't big enough. What they are finding out is that they are going to have to either have the funeral outside or they may have to even go to another church because of the overwhelming support and love that they are seeing for Sarah Lunde.

Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Rick Sanchez, in Ruskin. Thanks very much, Rick.

Just to give a sense of the problem, here's some fast facts that we found astounding. According to a review of Florida's sexual offender registry by the "Miami Herald," there are currently 60,000 convicted sex offenders out of prison and living in the state of Florida. Now, the paper reports that in the month before nine-year- old Jessica Lunsford's disappearance less than two months ago, 1,800 of those sexual offenders had been lost track of by law enforcement agencies. If you don't know where they are, you can't keep track of them.

Finding out how to find sexual predators is something many families want to know. The Justice Department says there are about 386,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, 386,000. Megan's Law gives you the right to know where they live. This is named, of course, after Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old New Jersey girl who was brutally raped and murdered in 1994 by an unknown child molester who lived across the street from her family.

It is actually very easy to find out if someone near is you on a sexual offender list. Rudi Bakhtiar is here to show us how. Rudi?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Astounding numbers there, Anderson. But we found out that just with a few clicks on the keyboard, you can find out exactly who is living in your neighborhood, if he's a sexual predator.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Since the signing of Megan's Law in 1996, state and local law enforcement have been required to do two things: register those convicted of sex crimes and notify communities when a convicted sex offender moves in. Forty-nine states have chosen the internet as the most efficient way of informing the public there's a predator in their midst. I signed on to New York State's Sex Offender Registry to find out just how user-friendly the system is. Using the zip code for CNN's New York City headquarters, I pulled up nine names, a possible nine sex offenders in a .7 square mile section of Manhattan.

He's white, 5'11", brown hair, brown eyes. They have a picture here, they have an address. Third degree sodomy of a 15-year-old male.

The site gives you not only the name, address, and photo of the offender, but details of the crime: the amount of prison time served, and the conditions of the predator's parole.

Seek, obtain, maintain employment. Abide by case-specific sex offender conditions. No alcohol, drug treatment. No contact with the victim.

When we accounted for aliases used, the actual number of sex offenders in this zip code dropped from nine to four.

He is white, Hispanic, 5'11. He was convicted on June 2, 1999, for second degree attempted rape of a six-year-old female.

An Internet search for sex offenders should provide your state's registry site. The information is there, who the predators are, where they live and the crimes they committed.

But what should you do if you discover there's a sex offender living next door to you? According to the California State Attorney General's Office, the rules vary from state to state, so check with your state agency that coordinates the sex offender registry to see if the person in question is in compliance -- in other words, following the conditions of his or her parole. Mark Klaas of the Klaas Kids' Foundation suggests that you talk to your kids about the potential dangers, show them pictures of the convicted offender and where they live, and set up a Neighborhood Watch program. The more you know about your neighborhood, the safer you and your kids will be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Now Klaas also pointed out what you don't want to do, and that is compound penalties on those offenders who have fully completed their debt to society through incarceration, parole, probation, therapy, even restitution. In other words, it's important to remember sex offenders have rights and they might have families as well. There's been cases individuals who return to otherwise constructive and meaningful lives as law-abiding citizens have seen their lives destroyed by termination of employment, loss of medical benefits, eviction, homelessness -- a lot of things, humiliation, threats, when they were exposed to the community. So, you need to do your homework.

These different websites that you might go to have the registered sex offender there. They all give you a phone number to call in case you have any questions. COOPER: It's fascinating when you actually do this. I did this to see who in my zip code was a sexual offender, and it seems a little kind of complicated. There are a lot of different websites out there, and some of them are even charging money.

BAKHTIAR: You know, the other problem is that the various websites don't agree on how many sex offenders are in your neighborhood, so you need to do your homework. Type in "sex offender," go to your state, various websites will come up, look at all of them, take the names down, make phone calls, do what you need to do.

COOPER: Talk to you local police as well, probably. Rudi Bakhtiar, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next on this special edition of 360. "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh joins us live from Florida. We'll talk to him in just a moment.

Also ahead tonight, kids fighting back to protect themselves. Meet a fourth grader who beat her attack.

Plus the top five things you and your child should know to protect themselves.

And a little later inside the mind of violent offenders. Our 360 MD Sanjay Gupta explains what makes them tick.

All that ahead. First, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh joins us live to talk about what you can do to protect your children from sexual predators. 360 next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Those are just some of the kids still missing right now in America. We're focusing this hour on how you can protect your children from predators. John Walsh is joining us now. He's co- founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and host of "America's Most Wanted." His son Adam was just six years old. He was abducted, murdered more than two decades ago. John, thanks very much for being with us.

Here we are again another young woman's life taken, 13-year-old Sarah Lunde. Could anything have been done different? Could anything have prevented this?

JOHN WALSH, HOST "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": I absolutely believe so, Anderson. And at the beginning you talked about Megan's Law passed in 1996. I was there in the Rose Garden when it is passed. But it's never enforced. You talk about police agencies being mandated to keep registries of sex offenders. But what if you are a moderate income family and you don't have a computer and you can't go to a Web site or you don't even know Megan's Law exists.

And as you said the "Miami Herald" picked out in my home state of Florida right here with 50,000 registered sex offenders, 1,800 of them are missing. They're flaunting the law. They're saying I don't need to register. I won't give you a valid address. These three little girls, Carlie Brucia, Sarah Lunde, and Jessica Lunsford this year, murdered by -- by sex offenders who defied the law. They didn't give valid address. They didn't register. There's got to be enforcement. Those 1,800 sex offenders who are missing here in the state of Florida. Where are they? Who's looking for them, Anderson?

COOPER: Well, why isn't there that enforcement? We're getting -- we get e-mails all the time. We're getting them tonight from this special from people who are saying, Martha Stewart is wearing an ankle bracelet, why aren't registered sex offenders accounted for in the same way?

WALSH: Absolutely. I think they all should be, if they are on parole or probation. Now, we talked about those who save -- who served their time and paid their debt to society. But parole and probation means it's a privilege. It's a privilege. So, I would love to see an ankle bracelet on these sex offenders. The three guys that killed these three girls in the last year in the state of Florida, nobody knew where they were.

Tomorrow Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father and I are going to Tallahassee with the attorney general, Charlie Chris. We have a bill before the Florida legislature, they haven't done anything about it. It's called the anti-murder law. It would make registered sex offenders be held accountable for flaunting against the law. And if they violate their parole they go back. We need to start tracking these guys. I have been following these guys for 22 years since my son was murdered. How many more kids do we have to lose because these guys don't adhere to the law and nobody does anything about it? We are going to try to change the law here in Florida tomorrow. We're going to the legislature.

COOPER: John, I've been reading -- I mean, some of the critics of this proposed law, though, say look, this is too expensive. This is adding countless numbers of prison beds, because if given the chance, you know, a judge is going to decide probably more often than not this person is still a continued danger.

WALSH: Good question, Anderson. Number one, people need to do their homework. This bill in Florida we estimate next year would cost $54 million. Well guess what, Florida has a $64 billion budget. This is less than 1/20 of 1 percent of the Florida budget. So how much is a child's life worth? Tell me how much those three little girls lives were worth that were murdered in the last year. When you violate your parole and probation and you're a sex offender, and you are saying to hell with the law. I'm not going to give you a valid address. I'm not even going to register. You know what, we have the space in Florida and $54 million is nothing. How much would it be -- how much do you think would -- how much would your daughter's life be worth?

COOPER: That, of course, of course, is the question. What should a parent out there, you know, we've been talking about logging on, getting access to a computer. Looking up to see or going to the local police finding out the register sex offenders in your community. What should somebody do if they go though those steps, if they find out, you know what, someone down the block or in my building or just around the corner is a sex offender.

What do you recommend?

WALSH: Well, I say number one legislatures should pass the laws to let law enforcement do their job and go after these guys. In the county I'm sitting in right now, Indian River County, the sheriff here Roy Raymond has a cable television channel, that he shows the pictures and addresses of convicted sex offenders 24 hours a day on the cable channel here. So, you don't even need a computer, so you can just go on a TV. He checks it all the time. He makes sure that they're where they say they are supposed to be. And he makes sure they are registered.

So, I say we need to be pro-active. We need to pass the laws. We need to stiffen the penalty. We need to give law enforcement the ability to go out hunt for these guys. And I don't care what it costs. And I tell people if you don't know or you can't get access to the list of registered sex offenders in your community, because some police departments don't make it easy for you, even though they're mandated by law, go to our Web site, AMW.com, we'll tell you how to get a list of registered sex offender in your area.

But Anderson, things have to change. These guys are roaming the country, flaunting and breaking the Megan's Law. It's time we need to track them, and find out where they are.

COOPER: John Walsh we appreciate you joining us tonight. I know you've got a busy day tomorrow. We'll be following you, as well, then. Thanks very much, John.

We want to hear what you think about tonight's special edition, "Predator Alert, Keeping Your Kids Safe." What would do you if you found out if your neighbor, say, was a registered sex offender. Let us know. Log on to our Web site, cnn.com/360. Click on the "Instant Feedback" link. We're going to read some of your comments coming up throughout this hour.

The search for a missing prosecutor, Erica Hill joins us now with some of the other stories making headlines in this hour. Hey, Erica.

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hey, Anderson. Police in Pennsylvania are looking for a missing prosecutor, getting a little help now from the FBI in the case. Ray Gricar hasn't be heard from since Friday. There were no signs of foul play when his car was found the next day. And police say there hasn't been any activity on his cell phone or credit card. They don't think Gricar's disappearance is related to any of his cases.

Target stores are moving most cold allergy and cough medicines from the regular shelves back over to the pharmacy in an effort to crackdown on the manufacturing of methamphetamine. The move applies to over-the-counter drugs that can contain pseudoephedrine. It's an active ingredient used to make meth. And the products won't be sold at stores that don't have pharmacies.

If you are ready for some football on Monday nights, beginning with the 2006 season, you will have to have cable or satellite to watch it. The NFL is switching its Monday night games to ESPN after 35 years on ABC. And under a new deal, the NFL Sunday night game will move over to NBC. And the move leaves ABC, which of course originated Monday night football in 1970, as the only major network without the NFL.

Patriots Day for many means the Red Sox and, of course, the world's oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon. Winners this year, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya. She is the first woman to win the race four times. Ethiopia's Hailu Negussie won the men's division. Kenyans have won 13 of the 14 last men's races. Meantime, a Colorado man coming in fourth -- that's the best finish for an American since 1987. And of course, as most people in Massachusetts know, the other reason that it's great to have Patriot Day is because you typically get the day off from work, and school if you are a student there.

COOPER: You won't get the day off, though, Erica. No, no.

HILL: No, no, but I don't need the day off.

COOPER: All right, see you again in about 30 minutes.

Coming up next on this special edition of 360...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY MCBRIDE, 4TH GRADER: He came behind me and put my hands like that. And then I turned, I kicked him like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: A little girl who fought back. Meet one very brave fourth grader who took on her attacker. She won. Find out how you can help empower your kids.

Also tonight, dozens of sexual offenders living in one small town. Find out how police are trying to keep track of the neighbors nobody knows about. We're covering all the angles. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All throughout this hour, we're looking at ways that you can keep your kids safe. The child you're about to meet didn't know the man who allegedly tried to abduct her. All Candy McBride knew was that she had to break free, and she did, thanks to a lesson on self- defense that she learned in the second grade. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on this very brave little girl from Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Candy McBride is 9 years old, 4'8" tall, and is stuck at 79 pounds. But don't let cute fool you.

(on camera): For all the other fourth graders who might see this out there, how would you describe yourself?

MCBRIDE: Cool, athletic, funny. I can kick butt.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): That's the strong-willed attitude her family said helped Candy put 26-year-old Jimmy Guard in jail. The 5'10", 185-pound man is awaiting trial for attempted kidnapping. He's accused of trying to abduct Candy last November and has pled not guilty.

CHARLOTTE CARR, CANDY'S MOTHER: She comes up -- there was grass or what have you, and she was cutting across here. And so it happened just like right here.

LAVANDERA: Candy had just got off her school bus when police say Guard jumped from behind a tree.

CARR: When he grabbed her, he put his hands over her mouth. And he had her arms up behind her head.

LAVANDERA (on camera): The attack happened about 100 yards away from Candy's home. It's also just a few feet away from a busy roadway. It was 4:00 in the afternoon. Cars were driving by. Other kids were walking home from school. But still, no one was close enough to help.

(voice-over): Candy was alone but hardly helpless. In an instant, this little fourth-grader got mad enough to unleash her fury.

MCBRIDE: He came from behind me and put my hands like that. And then I turned, I kicked him like that. I turned around, I punched him. Then he punched me back. Then I slapped him. He slapped me back. And then I hit him one more time in the stomach. Then I ran home.

LAVANDERA: Candy developed the confidence to fight back in a self-defense training course called RAD Kids.

ALLISON LAWSON, RAD KIDS INSTRUCTOR: RAD Kid stance. Yell "stay back."

MCBRIDE: Stay back! You're not my mom!

LAVANDERA: RAD stands for resist aggression defensively. She took the class as a second grader, but the lessons stuck.

MCBRIDE: Whoever hits me, believe me, they're going to get something back.

LAWSON: "No," and then maybe they will let go. What do we do? We run away and go tell somebody, right?

LAVANDERA: Allison Lawson is the instructor who taught Candy. She says the course doesn't just tell kids how to be safe; it shows them what to do to protect themselves. Like how to elude and escape an attacker's grip.

LAWSON: Come with me, kid.

MCBRIDE: No.

LAWSON: One of the things that I think RAD Kids did for her was to help give her the mind-set so that when it really happens, they are able to kind of take control of that situation. And instead of kind of freaking out for a minute and trying to decide what to do, there's a little bit of, oh, I know. There's a little bit of control there.

LAVANDERA: Not only did Candy get away, police say she got a good enough look at the attacker that the next day she instantly picked Jimmy Guard out of a photo line-up. Candy's mother credits the RAD Kids course for helping her daughter stay cool under pressure.

(on camera): Were you ever scared?

MCBRIDE: Never.

LAVANDERA: Never?

MCBRIDE: I'm not scared. Not of anything, but my mom.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Candy has a message for every young child who thinks they're too small and weak to get away from a strong attacker. Confidence, she says, is key.

MCBRIDE: They could be two feet for all I care, they can do it.

LAVANDERA: Almost five months after Candy McBride's escape, she's tired of talking about what happened. But her mom says there is a twinkle in Candy's eye, because she knows she stared down a bad man and won.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Provo, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Coming up later on 360, the top five things that you and your kids need to know to protect themselves. We've been getting a lot of e-mail over the course of this hour about sexual predators. Susan from Florida writes this one: "It is time to take our children seriously. We put the drug dealers away on mandatory sentences, no ifs, ands or buts. There should be not a second thought on mandatory first-time offense of a pedophile or a molestation charge. Mandatory, severe punishment!"

That's her opinion. Send us your thoughts. Log on at cnn.com/360, click on the "Instant Feedback" link.

Our special edition of 360 continues. "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe." Find out five things to arm your kids with before they head out the door.

Plus, dozens of sex offenders living in one small town. The question is, who's living next door to you?

Also tonight, inside the mind of a sexual offender. Our 360 MD, Sanjay Gupta, weighs in. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All this hour we are looking at ways that you can keep your children safe. Often you hear that, to protect yourself from any sort of crime, it's best to know your surroundings. But even the most familiar places, your own home, can leave you exposed to danger. There are a lot of cases where it is important, we think, to know, to understand, what is in the minds of a sexual predator. We are pleased that our next guest joins us again. We've talked to him in the past before. Jake Goldenflame joins us this evening. Jake, appreciate you being with us very much.

JAKE GOLDENFLAME, CONVICTED SEXUAL PREDATOR: Appreciate it.

COOPER: I know it's a difficult thing to talk about and it takes a lot of courage just to come on and talk about it. You were convicted of fondling your own daughter from the ages of three to five.

GOLDENFLAME: That's right.

COOPER: You've also said on this program before that you have had relations or molested young teens in the past.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes.

COOPER: Do you ever stop having the thoughts, the compulsions?

GOLDENFLAME: No, just like an alcoholic we'll probably always want that alcohol. Those of us with sexual urges are always going to have those urges. What we're trained to do in therapy is put a firewall in place, so when they come up, they don't go anywhere. They don't become plans, they don't become acts. They just become urges that we see, we notice, and we let them go.

COOPER: You say you haven't reoffended since, I believe, since '91. How come your firewall, if you will, is working and some of these other people we see in the news, clearly their firewall isn't working?

GOLDENFLAME: Well, the guys we see in the news don't have one. They didn't go through the therapy techniques. You go through the behavioral reconditioning techniques that are available, and you learn relapse prevention, and you make it a mantra, you make it a lifestyle, you make it a control mechanism there. Believe me, there's a firewall presence. As I say I have gone 14 years without reoffending. I'm in touch with guys that have gone 20 years.

COOPER: You really have to want to change, to want to not reoffend. I spent time with some pedophiles in Ohio who, you know, they went through plenty of therapy. They went through years of therapy in prison, and they learned what the therapists wanted to hear. They kind of regurgitated it back, but they never really learned sympathy for the people they had offended against, who they had molested.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes, I understand that. I must say that, just like with the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program, I think the most important beginning step is that you have a absolute commitment almost of a spiritual sort, that you absolutely are going to change. That it is unacceptable for you to continue living this way. You are willing to do whatever it takes to make that change happen.

COOPER: So what is wrong with the system as it now stands? Because, I mean, in so many of these cases -- Jessica Lunsford was taken by a man living or allegedly I should say or been accused of being taken by a man living in her neighborhood -- police didn't know there was a registered sex offender in the neighborhood because he was registered to a different address.

GOLDENFLAME: Well, as John Walsh said a moment ago and I completely agree with this, we have got to make penalties stiff for people who don't stay compliant with Megan's Law. People like the sort we're seeing in the news these days who committed these atrocious crimes, they aren't helping me, they aren't helping the other guys in recovery make our ways any easier, I assure you.

The biggest thing we can do, though is this: we can get real about this and recognize that people who molest children and people who rape women are not well to begin with, and so when they are in prison, they should be given the treatment that's necessary so when they leave prison they are less likely to reoffend. That's what has been missing here.

COOPER: A lot of people say, look, just lock them up. I know you have no doubt heard this argument a lot. This is something as -- I mean this is deeply ingrained in you as it is a heterosexual or a homosexual being homosexual.

GOLDENFLAME: You are absolutely right. It is so understandable to me when somebody says, well, let's just lock them up and throw away the key. It's so understandable. The problem is this -- if we really did that, think for a moment, of all the sex offenders out there that we haven't caught yet. What are they going to do when we're in a situation where if they get caught they are going to be locked up forever? I fear and law enforcement agrees with me on this, that we will raise the child homicide rate. These people, to avoid getting caught, will kill all of their victims instead of letting any of them return. That's our fear.

COOPER: It is crazy for you to say you still have these thoughts but you built the firewall in the mind. A lot of parents are going to hear that and think, you know what, I don't know, I don't trust that firewall. This scares me that this guy is still out there, having these thoughts. What should parents do to protect their kids?

GOLDENFLAME: That's what parents should do to use Megan's Law. I don't ask anybody to unreasonably trust me. I would never say to a parent, oh, I've been out for years, it's OK to have your kid around me. I absolutely would refuse such a situation or an offer.

I say to parents, first of all, I'm being honest because I think America needs to hear it honestly whether it sounds good or not, the urge is always there. If I were try to cosmetize that, I am not doing the public any favor, and I'll take the criticism that comes from people that say well I'm concerned about you. I say you should be concerned about me. You should be concerned about all of us. You have a Megan's Law, you should use it, because ,when you make it your business to monitor us, I assure you it encourages us to monitor ourselves in a partnership.

COOPER: And that's really what it boils down to. I mean, all the monitoring in the world, if you are not monitoring yourself, it's not going to work.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes. Exactly. It can be a partnership. It really can.

COOPER: Jake Goldenflame, you're the author of the book "Overcoming Sexual Terrorism: How to Protect Your Children from Sexual Predators." Appreciate you being with us, again, Jake. Thanks.

GOLDENFLAME: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: Coming up next on 360, more inside the mind of a sexual offender. 360 MD Sanjay Gupta on what makes them commit such horrible crimes in some cases.

Also tonight -- kids fighting back. The five things your kids and you need to know if your kids encounter a sexual predator, how they can fight back. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Four children, all still missing. More pictures there of kids missing across the U.S.

While we hear so often about the tragic end to many abductions, as with the deaths of Sarah Lunde and Jessica Lunsford, the fact is that most kidnapped children are not seriously harmed and come home alive. According to a study done by the Justice Department in state of Washington, for every 10,000 reports of a missing child, only one ends in murder. Still, one murder is scary enough, and violence, especially sexual violence, is something no one should go through. 360 MD Sanjay Gupta looks at what drives offenders to commit these awful crimes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a question few can answer. What lurks inside the mind of a sex offender?

DR. JONATHAN PINCUS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Most of them are mentally ill, neurologically impaired, and abused in childhood. Terribly, badly tortured.

GUPTA: In fact, Georgetown neurologist Dr. Jonathan Pincus says that two-thirds of men who rape and murder were raped themselves. And according to surveys of convicted rape and sexual assault offenders, more than two-thirds of their victims were under age 18, and over half of those 12 and younger.

And that's a different type of sexual offender. Those who prey on the weakest of victims: Pedophiles.

PINCUS: Pedophilia refers to the fact that there's something different or abnormal about a person's sexual makeup. The average person is certainly not sexually attracted to little children. Obviously, there is something very much wrong if a person's sexual makeup is disordered in that fashion.

GUPTA: Pedophiles exhibit three qualities. They have recurrent sexually arousing fantasies, urges or behaviors involving a child age 13 or younger. One doesn't have to act on those urges to be considered a pedophile. Those urges or behaviors cause significant distress or impairment. And they are at least 16 years old and at least five years older than the child they fantasize or have sex with.

But according to most experts, pedophiles don't usually kill their victims.

PINCUS: When it comes to words like sex offender, pedophilia, sexual predator, these are monsters. These are not real human beings. And there's little sense that we should show concern for any of them. We have taken away all the individuality.

GUPTA: The medical community views pedophilia as a disease that can't be cured, but can be controlled. Talk therapy, aimed at suppressing sexual desire for children by humanizing their victims. And then, there are always drugs -- sometimes antidepressants work. And of particular interest, those that may curb sexual arousal and obsession.

And the most controversial, chemical castration, which may biologically remove desire. But the notion of a cure still a far away concept.

PINCUS: This is not cured. This behavior, inappropriate behavior, is not cured. We just help a person stop this behavior, so that they don't abuse children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Sanjay, you talked about it a little bit in your piece, but what are the common traits for pedophiles?

GUPTA: Yeah, I mean, there is not an absolute commonality for all pedophiles, but 90, 95 percent are men, for example. Usually low to average I.Q. Interestingly, 27 percent of those child molesters have been molested themselves, which means a vast majority of those who are molested don't go on to molest. That's an important thing to clear up, Anderson, as well.

About 45 percent of them begin their sexual interest in children before the age of 12. They themselves before the age of 12 begin their sexual interest, and then as adults, place themselves into situations where they try and gain the trust of a child -- a child- rearing facility, schools, things like that.

COOPER: Yeah, I once did an interview with actually a teenager who was a pedophile, admittedly a pedophile, who was a baby sitter, and it was actually an interview over the Internet. He wouldn't actually meet in person. It was incredibly disturbing to think that this is someone we're allowing in our homes. And you know, a kid, a teenager can actually be a pedophile. It's a strange thing.

GUPTA: And it begins at such a young age as well.

COOPER: Yeah. Sanjay Gupta, appreciate it. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COOPER: We got a couple of other stories to report. Let's get you up to date right now on the headlines. Catholic cardinals gathering to pick a new pope. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS has that, and the other stories at about quarter to the hour. Hey, Erica.

HILL: Hi again, Anderson. That's right, 115 Roman Catholic cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel in the morning to try to choose Pope John Paul II's successor. Black smoke rose from a chimney atop the chapel today, indicating the cardinals taking part in the conclave took a vote, but did not select a new pope.

A man who was onboard a cruise ship hit by a huge wave over the weekend says he thought of the Titanic. The Norwegian Dawn ocean liner was sailing back to New York from the Bahamas on Saturday when it was hit by a 70-foot wave. Some passengers were forced to sleep in hallways in life jackets after the wave sent furniture sailing through the air. No one was seriously hurt.

Lance Armstrong says his quest for a seventh straight Tour de France title this summer will be his last. Armstrong announced today he is 100 percent committed to retiring from professional cycling following the July race. He said he wants to spend more time with his three children and at his campaign against cancer.

And that's the latest at this hour from HEADLINE NEWS. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Erica, thanks. We'll see you again in about 30 minutes.

Coming up next on our special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe," the top five things that you and your kids should know about how to protect themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: It's terrible to see those faces. We talked a lot tonight about kids in harm's way. About children who fall prey to sexual predators. Now we want to give you and your family the power to fight back. My next guest says there are five tips that could save you're child's life. Five things they need to know to reduce the risk of being attacked.

Bob Stubber is a safety expert, he uses video demonstrations to teach family on how to keep kids safe. You'll see some of his video dramatizations in moment. He joins us now from Glen Cove, California.

Good to see you. Thanks for being with us Bob.

BOB STUBBER, CHILD SAFETY EXPERT: My pleasure.

COOPER: Sarah Lunde, the Florida girl who's body was discovered this weekend, apparently let her attacker into the house. What's the most important lesson right here for kids left home alone?

STUBBER: You know, sounds like it's very basic, but it's not -- to keep the door locked. As long as the child is on this side of a locked door, they have choices. They have the power. As soon as they unlock the door and let somebody in, they lose all their power. They lose all their choices. That's when it gets dangerous. So, you have to tell kids and be specific. Don't use the word stranger. Say, keep the door locked and don't let anybody inside. Don't unlock it to talk to them. Leave it locked.

COOPER: Let's look at other specific situations. What if a child's attacked on a bike. What should they do?

STUBBER: You know, it's not uncommon for that situation to be riding -- the kid is riding the bicycle. Somebody tries to grab them off. Hold on to the bike. If the child can't run away hold the bike and don't let go. You can get the child, you can the bike but you cannot get the pair of them in a car. What the kid needs to do is hold that bike, don't let go while screaming for help.

COOPER: What if a child is being followed by a car?

STUBBER: You know, this is really interesting because again it comes down to one of these smart choices, not a scared reaction. The child's going to run, but it's the direction they run that makes a difference. Run the opposite way that the car is pointed. There's only a 50 percent chance the person will turn the car around. You've increased the safety factor by 50 percent just by making that simple choice. If you run the same way the car is pointed he can keep following you.

COOPER: And if a child is caught, and God forbid thrown into the trunk of the car, is there anything they can do?

STUBBER: Yes, absolutely. But again, we go back to the smart choices. You can kick and scream all you want, nobody is going to hear you, nobody is going to see you. But even the youngest child can be taught to pull the taillight wires. It's very easy to do. When they disconnect the break and tail light wires, they increase the odds 50 percent that the police will pull the car over, not because they're in the trunk, but because it has no brake or taillight. Then they can get there and rescue the child. It's all about giving kids permission to be safe by teaching them these choices.

COOPER: You say there are ways a child can get away from a larger heavier attacker. Something called the windmill technique. What's that?

STUBBER: Yes, the windmill technique is real basic. If a child was grabbed by somebody that's bigger and stronger than them. They can rotate their arm in a forward direction like a windmill. And that will break the other person's hold. It makes the child stronger than the attacker for about a tenth of the second. But that's all they need to get away.

But you want to be cautious and don't teach children they can beat up adults or they should go after the adult and overpower them. Because that won't happen.

COOPER: The key is just to get away. What is the most important thing for parents and kids to take away from this segment tonight?

STUBBER: You know, this is -- it all comes down to this, Anderson. It's about teaching kids to be smart, not scared. When they're scared, they become predictable. That's what the predator wants. He knows what they are going to do. Give them these choices. They'll use them if they need them. If not go on with your life. Have fun. Grow up. But they have to have choices. And it takes time to teach them so parents have to be dedicated to spend that time with them.

COOPER: Smart, not scared. Good words. Bob Stubber, thanks very much.

Coming up -- let's find out what is coming up at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Hey, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, PAULA ZAHN NOW: Hi, Anderson. How are you tonight.

COOPER: Good.

ZAHN: We're going to be talking about choosing the next pope. We have seen some startling contrasts of old and new at the Vatican. It's more than just ancient rituals meeting modern technology. It's the Catholic Church's whole attitude towards the modern world, toward women and even towards Africa. We're going to look at the many facets of the conclave that will literally put a new face on the Catholic Church.

And Anderson, we'll also be catching up with some women who are spewing pink smoke at the moment. They are running a counter conclave out of Chicago. They are very upset about how this last pope dealt with the issue of women in the church. So, you will meet some of them coming up.

COOPER: Fascinating. All happening right under that beautiful Sistine Chapel right now. Paula, thanks very much. Coming up next on this special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kid Safe." It's an issue that seems to be touching a nerve in America. When we come back, you sound off about what needs to be done to keep offenders from striking again. Send us an e-mail at cnn.com/360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Some of the missing. Welcome back to the special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kid Safe."

We've been getting a lot of e-mail over the last hour. Rudi Bakhtiar told us earlier how to check our neighborhoods online for sexual predators.

Holly wrote, "I thought I'd log onto the sites Rudi just mentioned out of curiosity. Lo and behold, my childhood friend I grew up on with in New Haven, Connecticut came up as a sex offender. I am absolutely shocked! I'm on the phone as I type warning family and friends still in New Haven. This special is worth its weight in gold!"

If you missed the info about where to log on, you can check out our Web site, inn.com/360.

Kenneth from Florida wrote this, "Gentleman, I hate to bring this to your attention on national TV, but at the time of the incident involving Sarah Lunde, David Onstott was in compliance with his registration requirements. He had been arrested a month before for absconding, but had since resolved that issue and obtained a court date for the charges."

True, Kent, but Jessica Lunsford's alleged killer was off the books.

And Cindy from Corpus Christi had this to say, "I have checked out sex offenders in my area and was shocked to see so many, and so close. So, I made sure my kids knew what they looked like. I don't like doing this, it makes them afraid. But I always tell them knowledge is power and to stay away if possible or go to the" other -- or "go to 'safe' houses we have for our Neighborhood Watch."

All good advice. No reason for your kids to be scared. Just have them be smart. Send us our thoughts any time. Log on to cnn.com/360, click on the instant feedback link.

Thanks very much for joining us on this special edition of 360.

Prime time coverage continues right now with Paula Zahn. Hey, Paula.

END

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 18, 2005 - 19:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Hey, Lou, thanks very much.
Hundreds of thousands of sexual predators, living free and maybe near your family. What can you do to keep your kids safe? A special edition of 360 starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(voice-over): Sarah Lunde, a 13-year-old girl with a troubled past, allegedly killed by an convicted sex offender who dated her mother. Tonight, what really happened inside the Lunde's home? Why was Sarah all alone?

What's the best way to protect your kids? Crime fighter John Walsh joins us live to talk about Sarah, sex offenders, and what you can do to stop them.

How many sex offenders live in your neighborhood? Tonight we'll tell you how to check and what to do with the information you find.

Fighting back: a young girl who faced down her attacker. What she did to save her life and what your child should know before heading out the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live, from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe."

COOPER (on camera): Good evening.

For the family and friends of Sarah Michelle Lunde, the hope is gone. Sarah was found this weekend, dead, her body partially submerged in a pond not far from her home. She was just 13 years old.

Today, this convicted sex offender, who at one point dated Sarah's mother, was charged with the murder. Now, we can tell you that sexual violent crimes are down. We can tell that you sexual violence against kids is down and all that is true. But statistics don't mean much right now to Sarah's family. What can we do? What can any of us do to stop sexual predators, to protect our kids in our neighborhood. That's our focus in this hour.

In a moment we're going to talk with John Walsh from America's Most Wanted. But first, CNN's Rick Sanchez looked into the life of Sarah and the man accused of her murder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is a convicted rapist, a registered sexual offender, a life seemingly patterned on missteps and malice. She was a young girl with an infectious smile, who had finally put it all together and was loving life like never before.

(on camera): If there's a time and a place where these two lives begin to intersect, it happened here in Ruskin when Sarah's mother begins to do what, well, what single mothers do. She began to look for a male companion. She chose poorly, though, for herself, and maybe more importantly, for her daughter, when she befriended David Onstott.

David Onstott grew up near Tampa. Only 36, the last 10 years of his life have gone from bad to worse. In 1995, he was convicted of raping a woman after knocking on her door and throwing her to the ground. He served six years. Then he was charged, but acquitted, of attacking a man with a machete, and here's how police now describe his latest alleged crime.

DAVID GEE, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: The defendant put the victim in a chokehold causing her to become unconscious and eventually causing her death.

SANCHEZ: We found and paid a visit to Onstott's home, talked to his friends, talked to his lawyers, sought out his father. No one was willing to talk on camera.

Sarah Lunde was a shy, distant girl, with a history of emotional problems. Until she found her way here, to the First Apostolic Church in Florida. We had no problem getting people to talk about her.

MATT FONTANA, YOUTH MINISTER: No one from her family came to the church but she made a point to always be here. She would sit on the first or second row.

SANCHEZ: Sarah was overcoming adversity, even if she had to do it all alone. She was impressing all around her.

SHERI COOK, PASTOR'S WIFE: She was irresistible. We all just took her in. We all felt that way about her.

SANCHEZ: Sheri Cook is the pastor's wife and she says, like a mom to Sarah.

COOK: Earlier, we were hoping, we were preparing her for her future. We had no idea we were preparing her for eternity.

SANCHEZ: Two people, two lives, heading in different directions, that crossed paths one final time when Onstott came looking for the woman he once dated, Sarah's mom.

What you're looking at here is a makeshift memorial. It's been put together by many of the people who live in the town. They come by from time to time and they leave messages for Sarah and for her family. We read some of them that say things like, "from our family to yours, all our love, all our prayers."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Sarah Lunde may not have been the most popular girl in this community, and this church that you see behind me that we've gotten to know so well is probably not even one of the most well- attended churches in this community. The pastor and his wife tell me that often times they only have 50 or 75 people coming to Sunday services. But something has happened as they get ready, Anderson to plan this funeral. What they are finding out is that this church suddenly isn't big enough. What they are finding out is that they are going to have to either have the funeral outside or they may have to even go to another church because of the overwhelming support and love that they are seeing for Sarah Lunde.

Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Rick Sanchez, in Ruskin. Thanks very much, Rick.

Just to give a sense of the problem, here's some fast facts that we found astounding. According to a review of Florida's sexual offender registry by the "Miami Herald," there are currently 60,000 convicted sex offenders out of prison and living in the state of Florida. Now, the paper reports that in the month before nine-year- old Jessica Lunsford's disappearance less than two months ago, 1,800 of those sexual offenders had been lost track of by law enforcement agencies. If you don't know where they are, you can't keep track of them.

Finding out how to find sexual predators is something many families want to know. The Justice Department says there are about 386,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, 386,000. Megan's Law gives you the right to know where they live. This is named, of course, after Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old New Jersey girl who was brutally raped and murdered in 1994 by an unknown child molester who lived across the street from her family.

It is actually very easy to find out if someone near is you on a sexual offender list. Rudi Bakhtiar is here to show us how. Rudi?

RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Astounding numbers there, Anderson. But we found out that just with a few clicks on the keyboard, you can find out exactly who is living in your neighborhood, if he's a sexual predator.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Since the signing of Megan's Law in 1996, state and local law enforcement have been required to do two things: register those convicted of sex crimes and notify communities when a convicted sex offender moves in. Forty-nine states have chosen the internet as the most efficient way of informing the public there's a predator in their midst. I signed on to New York State's Sex Offender Registry to find out just how user-friendly the system is. Using the zip code for CNN's New York City headquarters, I pulled up nine names, a possible nine sex offenders in a .7 square mile section of Manhattan.

He's white, 5'11", brown hair, brown eyes. They have a picture here, they have an address. Third degree sodomy of a 15-year-old male.

The site gives you not only the name, address, and photo of the offender, but details of the crime: the amount of prison time served, and the conditions of the predator's parole.

Seek, obtain, maintain employment. Abide by case-specific sex offender conditions. No alcohol, drug treatment. No contact with the victim.

When we accounted for aliases used, the actual number of sex offenders in this zip code dropped from nine to four.

He is white, Hispanic, 5'11. He was convicted on June 2, 1999, for second degree attempted rape of a six-year-old female.

An Internet search for sex offenders should provide your state's registry site. The information is there, who the predators are, where they live and the crimes they committed.

But what should you do if you discover there's a sex offender living next door to you? According to the California State Attorney General's Office, the rules vary from state to state, so check with your state agency that coordinates the sex offender registry to see if the person in question is in compliance -- in other words, following the conditions of his or her parole. Mark Klaas of the Klaas Kids' Foundation suggests that you talk to your kids about the potential dangers, show them pictures of the convicted offender and where they live, and set up a Neighborhood Watch program. The more you know about your neighborhood, the safer you and your kids will be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Now Klaas also pointed out what you don't want to do, and that is compound penalties on those offenders who have fully completed their debt to society through incarceration, parole, probation, therapy, even restitution. In other words, it's important to remember sex offenders have rights and they might have families as well. There's been cases individuals who return to otherwise constructive and meaningful lives as law-abiding citizens have seen their lives destroyed by termination of employment, loss of medical benefits, eviction, homelessness -- a lot of things, humiliation, threats, when they were exposed to the community. So, you need to do your homework.

These different websites that you might go to have the registered sex offender there. They all give you a phone number to call in case you have any questions. COOPER: It's fascinating when you actually do this. I did this to see who in my zip code was a sexual offender, and it seems a little kind of complicated. There are a lot of different websites out there, and some of them are even charging money.

BAKHTIAR: You know, the other problem is that the various websites don't agree on how many sex offenders are in your neighborhood, so you need to do your homework. Type in "sex offender," go to your state, various websites will come up, look at all of them, take the names down, make phone calls, do what you need to do.

COOPER: Talk to you local police as well, probably. Rudi Bakhtiar, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next on this special edition of 360. "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh joins us live from Florida. We'll talk to him in just a moment.

Also ahead tonight, kids fighting back to protect themselves. Meet a fourth grader who beat her attack.

Plus the top five things you and your child should know to protect themselves.

And a little later inside the mind of violent offenders. Our 360 MD Sanjay Gupta explains what makes them tick.

All that ahead. First, your picks, the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh joins us live to talk about what you can do to protect your children from sexual predators. 360 next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Those are just some of the kids still missing right now in America. We're focusing this hour on how you can protect your children from predators. John Walsh is joining us now. He's co- founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and host of "America's Most Wanted." His son Adam was just six years old. He was abducted, murdered more than two decades ago. John, thanks very much for being with us.

Here we are again another young woman's life taken, 13-year-old Sarah Lunde. Could anything have been done different? Could anything have prevented this?

JOHN WALSH, HOST "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": I absolutely believe so, Anderson. And at the beginning you talked about Megan's Law passed in 1996. I was there in the Rose Garden when it is passed. But it's never enforced. You talk about police agencies being mandated to keep registries of sex offenders. But what if you are a moderate income family and you don't have a computer and you can't go to a Web site or you don't even know Megan's Law exists.

And as you said the "Miami Herald" picked out in my home state of Florida right here with 50,000 registered sex offenders, 1,800 of them are missing. They're flaunting the law. They're saying I don't need to register. I won't give you a valid address. These three little girls, Carlie Brucia, Sarah Lunde, and Jessica Lunsford this year, murdered by -- by sex offenders who defied the law. They didn't give valid address. They didn't register. There's got to be enforcement. Those 1,800 sex offenders who are missing here in the state of Florida. Where are they? Who's looking for them, Anderson?

COOPER: Well, why isn't there that enforcement? We're getting -- we get e-mails all the time. We're getting them tonight from this special from people who are saying, Martha Stewart is wearing an ankle bracelet, why aren't registered sex offenders accounted for in the same way?

WALSH: Absolutely. I think they all should be, if they are on parole or probation. Now, we talked about those who save -- who served their time and paid their debt to society. But parole and probation means it's a privilege. It's a privilege. So, I would love to see an ankle bracelet on these sex offenders. The three guys that killed these three girls in the last year in the state of Florida, nobody knew where they were.

Tomorrow Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father and I are going to Tallahassee with the attorney general, Charlie Chris. We have a bill before the Florida legislature, they haven't done anything about it. It's called the anti-murder law. It would make registered sex offenders be held accountable for flaunting against the law. And if they violate their parole they go back. We need to start tracking these guys. I have been following these guys for 22 years since my son was murdered. How many more kids do we have to lose because these guys don't adhere to the law and nobody does anything about it? We are going to try to change the law here in Florida tomorrow. We're going to the legislature.

COOPER: John, I've been reading -- I mean, some of the critics of this proposed law, though, say look, this is too expensive. This is adding countless numbers of prison beds, because if given the chance, you know, a judge is going to decide probably more often than not this person is still a continued danger.

WALSH: Good question, Anderson. Number one, people need to do their homework. This bill in Florida we estimate next year would cost $54 million. Well guess what, Florida has a $64 billion budget. This is less than 1/20 of 1 percent of the Florida budget. So how much is a child's life worth? Tell me how much those three little girls lives were worth that were murdered in the last year. When you violate your parole and probation and you're a sex offender, and you are saying to hell with the law. I'm not going to give you a valid address. I'm not even going to register. You know what, we have the space in Florida and $54 million is nothing. How much would it be -- how much do you think would -- how much would your daughter's life be worth?

COOPER: That, of course, of course, is the question. What should a parent out there, you know, we've been talking about logging on, getting access to a computer. Looking up to see or going to the local police finding out the register sex offenders in your community. What should somebody do if they go though those steps, if they find out, you know what, someone down the block or in my building or just around the corner is a sex offender.

What do you recommend?

WALSH: Well, I say number one legislatures should pass the laws to let law enforcement do their job and go after these guys. In the county I'm sitting in right now, Indian River County, the sheriff here Roy Raymond has a cable television channel, that he shows the pictures and addresses of convicted sex offenders 24 hours a day on the cable channel here. So, you don't even need a computer, so you can just go on a TV. He checks it all the time. He makes sure that they're where they say they are supposed to be. And he makes sure they are registered.

So, I say we need to be pro-active. We need to pass the laws. We need to stiffen the penalty. We need to give law enforcement the ability to go out hunt for these guys. And I don't care what it costs. And I tell people if you don't know or you can't get access to the list of registered sex offenders in your community, because some police departments don't make it easy for you, even though they're mandated by law, go to our Web site, AMW.com, we'll tell you how to get a list of registered sex offender in your area.

But Anderson, things have to change. These guys are roaming the country, flaunting and breaking the Megan's Law. It's time we need to track them, and find out where they are.

COOPER: John Walsh we appreciate you joining us tonight. I know you've got a busy day tomorrow. We'll be following you, as well, then. Thanks very much, John.

We want to hear what you think about tonight's special edition, "Predator Alert, Keeping Your Kids Safe." What would do you if you found out if your neighbor, say, was a registered sex offender. Let us know. Log on to our Web site, cnn.com/360. Click on the "Instant Feedback" link. We're going to read some of your comments coming up throughout this hour.

The search for a missing prosecutor, Erica Hill joins us now with some of the other stories making headlines in this hour. Hey, Erica.

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS: Hey, Anderson. Police in Pennsylvania are looking for a missing prosecutor, getting a little help now from the FBI in the case. Ray Gricar hasn't be heard from since Friday. There were no signs of foul play when his car was found the next day. And police say there hasn't been any activity on his cell phone or credit card. They don't think Gricar's disappearance is related to any of his cases.

Target stores are moving most cold allergy and cough medicines from the regular shelves back over to the pharmacy in an effort to crackdown on the manufacturing of methamphetamine. The move applies to over-the-counter drugs that can contain pseudoephedrine. It's an active ingredient used to make meth. And the products won't be sold at stores that don't have pharmacies.

If you are ready for some football on Monday nights, beginning with the 2006 season, you will have to have cable or satellite to watch it. The NFL is switching its Monday night games to ESPN after 35 years on ABC. And under a new deal, the NFL Sunday night game will move over to NBC. And the move leaves ABC, which of course originated Monday night football in 1970, as the only major network without the NFL.

Patriots Day for many means the Red Sox and, of course, the world's oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon. Winners this year, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya. She is the first woman to win the race four times. Ethiopia's Hailu Negussie won the men's division. Kenyans have won 13 of the 14 last men's races. Meantime, a Colorado man coming in fourth -- that's the best finish for an American since 1987. And of course, as most people in Massachusetts know, the other reason that it's great to have Patriot Day is because you typically get the day off from work, and school if you are a student there.

COOPER: You won't get the day off, though, Erica. No, no.

HILL: No, no, but I don't need the day off.

COOPER: All right, see you again in about 30 minutes.

Coming up next on this special edition of 360...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDY MCBRIDE, 4TH GRADER: He came behind me and put my hands like that. And then I turned, I kicked him like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: A little girl who fought back. Meet one very brave fourth grader who took on her attacker. She won. Find out how you can help empower your kids.

Also tonight, dozens of sexual offenders living in one small town. Find out how police are trying to keep track of the neighbors nobody knows about. We're covering all the angles. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All throughout this hour, we're looking at ways that you can keep your kids safe. The child you're about to meet didn't know the man who allegedly tried to abduct her. All Candy McBride knew was that she had to break free, and she did, thanks to a lesson on self- defense that she learned in the second grade. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on this very brave little girl from Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Candy McBride is 9 years old, 4'8" tall, and is stuck at 79 pounds. But don't let cute fool you.

(on camera): For all the other fourth graders who might see this out there, how would you describe yourself?

MCBRIDE: Cool, athletic, funny. I can kick butt.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): That's the strong-willed attitude her family said helped Candy put 26-year-old Jimmy Guard in jail. The 5'10", 185-pound man is awaiting trial for attempted kidnapping. He's accused of trying to abduct Candy last November and has pled not guilty.

CHARLOTTE CARR, CANDY'S MOTHER: She comes up -- there was grass or what have you, and she was cutting across here. And so it happened just like right here.

LAVANDERA: Candy had just got off her school bus when police say Guard jumped from behind a tree.

CARR: When he grabbed her, he put his hands over her mouth. And he had her arms up behind her head.

LAVANDERA (on camera): The attack happened about 100 yards away from Candy's home. It's also just a few feet away from a busy roadway. It was 4:00 in the afternoon. Cars were driving by. Other kids were walking home from school. But still, no one was close enough to help.

(voice-over): Candy was alone but hardly helpless. In an instant, this little fourth-grader got mad enough to unleash her fury.

MCBRIDE: He came from behind me and put my hands like that. And then I turned, I kicked him like that. I turned around, I punched him. Then he punched me back. Then I slapped him. He slapped me back. And then I hit him one more time in the stomach. Then I ran home.

LAVANDERA: Candy developed the confidence to fight back in a self-defense training course called RAD Kids.

ALLISON LAWSON, RAD KIDS INSTRUCTOR: RAD Kid stance. Yell "stay back."

MCBRIDE: Stay back! You're not my mom!

LAVANDERA: RAD stands for resist aggression defensively. She took the class as a second grader, but the lessons stuck.

MCBRIDE: Whoever hits me, believe me, they're going to get something back.

LAWSON: "No," and then maybe they will let go. What do we do? We run away and go tell somebody, right?

LAVANDERA: Allison Lawson is the instructor who taught Candy. She says the course doesn't just tell kids how to be safe; it shows them what to do to protect themselves. Like how to elude and escape an attacker's grip.

LAWSON: Come with me, kid.

MCBRIDE: No.

LAWSON: One of the things that I think RAD Kids did for her was to help give her the mind-set so that when it really happens, they are able to kind of take control of that situation. And instead of kind of freaking out for a minute and trying to decide what to do, there's a little bit of, oh, I know. There's a little bit of control there.

LAVANDERA: Not only did Candy get away, police say she got a good enough look at the attacker that the next day she instantly picked Jimmy Guard out of a photo line-up. Candy's mother credits the RAD Kids course for helping her daughter stay cool under pressure.

(on camera): Were you ever scared?

MCBRIDE: Never.

LAVANDERA: Never?

MCBRIDE: I'm not scared. Not of anything, but my mom.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Candy has a message for every young child who thinks they're too small and weak to get away from a strong attacker. Confidence, she says, is key.

MCBRIDE: They could be two feet for all I care, they can do it.

LAVANDERA: Almost five months after Candy McBride's escape, she's tired of talking about what happened. But her mom says there is a twinkle in Candy's eye, because she knows she stared down a bad man and won.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Provo, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Coming up later on 360, the top five things that you and your kids need to know to protect themselves. We've been getting a lot of e-mail over the course of this hour about sexual predators. Susan from Florida writes this one: "It is time to take our children seriously. We put the drug dealers away on mandatory sentences, no ifs, ands or buts. There should be not a second thought on mandatory first-time offense of a pedophile or a molestation charge. Mandatory, severe punishment!"

That's her opinion. Send us your thoughts. Log on at cnn.com/360, click on the "Instant Feedback" link.

Our special edition of 360 continues. "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe." Find out five things to arm your kids with before they head out the door.

Plus, dozens of sex offenders living in one small town. The question is, who's living next door to you?

Also tonight, inside the mind of a sexual offender. Our 360 MD, Sanjay Gupta, weighs in. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All this hour we are looking at ways that you can keep your children safe. Often you hear that, to protect yourself from any sort of crime, it's best to know your surroundings. But even the most familiar places, your own home, can leave you exposed to danger. There are a lot of cases where it is important, we think, to know, to understand, what is in the minds of a sexual predator. We are pleased that our next guest joins us again. We've talked to him in the past before. Jake Goldenflame joins us this evening. Jake, appreciate you being with us very much.

JAKE GOLDENFLAME, CONVICTED SEXUAL PREDATOR: Appreciate it.

COOPER: I know it's a difficult thing to talk about and it takes a lot of courage just to come on and talk about it. You were convicted of fondling your own daughter from the ages of three to five.

GOLDENFLAME: That's right.

COOPER: You've also said on this program before that you have had relations or molested young teens in the past.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes.

COOPER: Do you ever stop having the thoughts, the compulsions?

GOLDENFLAME: No, just like an alcoholic we'll probably always want that alcohol. Those of us with sexual urges are always going to have those urges. What we're trained to do in therapy is put a firewall in place, so when they come up, they don't go anywhere. They don't become plans, they don't become acts. They just become urges that we see, we notice, and we let them go.

COOPER: You say you haven't reoffended since, I believe, since '91. How come your firewall, if you will, is working and some of these other people we see in the news, clearly their firewall isn't working?

GOLDENFLAME: Well, the guys we see in the news don't have one. They didn't go through the therapy techniques. You go through the behavioral reconditioning techniques that are available, and you learn relapse prevention, and you make it a mantra, you make it a lifestyle, you make it a control mechanism there. Believe me, there's a firewall presence. As I say I have gone 14 years without reoffending. I'm in touch with guys that have gone 20 years.

COOPER: You really have to want to change, to want to not reoffend. I spent time with some pedophiles in Ohio who, you know, they went through plenty of therapy. They went through years of therapy in prison, and they learned what the therapists wanted to hear. They kind of regurgitated it back, but they never really learned sympathy for the people they had offended against, who they had molested.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes, I understand that. I must say that, just like with the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program, I think the most important beginning step is that you have a absolute commitment almost of a spiritual sort, that you absolutely are going to change. That it is unacceptable for you to continue living this way. You are willing to do whatever it takes to make that change happen.

COOPER: So what is wrong with the system as it now stands? Because, I mean, in so many of these cases -- Jessica Lunsford was taken by a man living or allegedly I should say or been accused of being taken by a man living in her neighborhood -- police didn't know there was a registered sex offender in the neighborhood because he was registered to a different address.

GOLDENFLAME: Well, as John Walsh said a moment ago and I completely agree with this, we have got to make penalties stiff for people who don't stay compliant with Megan's Law. People like the sort we're seeing in the news these days who committed these atrocious crimes, they aren't helping me, they aren't helping the other guys in recovery make our ways any easier, I assure you.

The biggest thing we can do, though is this: we can get real about this and recognize that people who molest children and people who rape women are not well to begin with, and so when they are in prison, they should be given the treatment that's necessary so when they leave prison they are less likely to reoffend. That's what has been missing here.

COOPER: A lot of people say, look, just lock them up. I know you have no doubt heard this argument a lot. This is something as -- I mean this is deeply ingrained in you as it is a heterosexual or a homosexual being homosexual.

GOLDENFLAME: You are absolutely right. It is so understandable to me when somebody says, well, let's just lock them up and throw away the key. It's so understandable. The problem is this -- if we really did that, think for a moment, of all the sex offenders out there that we haven't caught yet. What are they going to do when we're in a situation where if they get caught they are going to be locked up forever? I fear and law enforcement agrees with me on this, that we will raise the child homicide rate. These people, to avoid getting caught, will kill all of their victims instead of letting any of them return. That's our fear.

COOPER: It is crazy for you to say you still have these thoughts but you built the firewall in the mind. A lot of parents are going to hear that and think, you know what, I don't know, I don't trust that firewall. This scares me that this guy is still out there, having these thoughts. What should parents do to protect their kids?

GOLDENFLAME: That's what parents should do to use Megan's Law. I don't ask anybody to unreasonably trust me. I would never say to a parent, oh, I've been out for years, it's OK to have your kid around me. I absolutely would refuse such a situation or an offer.

I say to parents, first of all, I'm being honest because I think America needs to hear it honestly whether it sounds good or not, the urge is always there. If I were try to cosmetize that, I am not doing the public any favor, and I'll take the criticism that comes from people that say well I'm concerned about you. I say you should be concerned about me. You should be concerned about all of us. You have a Megan's Law, you should use it, because ,when you make it your business to monitor us, I assure you it encourages us to monitor ourselves in a partnership.

COOPER: And that's really what it boils down to. I mean, all the monitoring in the world, if you are not monitoring yourself, it's not going to work.

GOLDENFLAME: Yes. Exactly. It can be a partnership. It really can.

COOPER: Jake Goldenflame, you're the author of the book "Overcoming Sexual Terrorism: How to Protect Your Children from Sexual Predators." Appreciate you being with us, again, Jake. Thanks.

GOLDENFLAME: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: Coming up next on 360, more inside the mind of a sexual offender. 360 MD Sanjay Gupta on what makes them commit such horrible crimes in some cases.

Also tonight -- kids fighting back. The five things your kids and you need to know if your kids encounter a sexual predator, how they can fight back. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Four children, all still missing. More pictures there of kids missing across the U.S.

While we hear so often about the tragic end to many abductions, as with the deaths of Sarah Lunde and Jessica Lunsford, the fact is that most kidnapped children are not seriously harmed and come home alive. According to a study done by the Justice Department in state of Washington, for every 10,000 reports of a missing child, only one ends in murder. Still, one murder is scary enough, and violence, especially sexual violence, is something no one should go through. 360 MD Sanjay Gupta looks at what drives offenders to commit these awful crimes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a question few can answer. What lurks inside the mind of a sex offender?

DR. JONATHAN PINCUS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Most of them are mentally ill, neurologically impaired, and abused in childhood. Terribly, badly tortured.

GUPTA: In fact, Georgetown neurologist Dr. Jonathan Pincus says that two-thirds of men who rape and murder were raped themselves. And according to surveys of convicted rape and sexual assault offenders, more than two-thirds of their victims were under age 18, and over half of those 12 and younger.

And that's a different type of sexual offender. Those who prey on the weakest of victims: Pedophiles.

PINCUS: Pedophilia refers to the fact that there's something different or abnormal about a person's sexual makeup. The average person is certainly not sexually attracted to little children. Obviously, there is something very much wrong if a person's sexual makeup is disordered in that fashion.

GUPTA: Pedophiles exhibit three qualities. They have recurrent sexually arousing fantasies, urges or behaviors involving a child age 13 or younger. One doesn't have to act on those urges to be considered a pedophile. Those urges or behaviors cause significant distress or impairment. And they are at least 16 years old and at least five years older than the child they fantasize or have sex with.

But according to most experts, pedophiles don't usually kill their victims.

PINCUS: When it comes to words like sex offender, pedophilia, sexual predator, these are monsters. These are not real human beings. And there's little sense that we should show concern for any of them. We have taken away all the individuality.

GUPTA: The medical community views pedophilia as a disease that can't be cured, but can be controlled. Talk therapy, aimed at suppressing sexual desire for children by humanizing their victims. And then, there are always drugs -- sometimes antidepressants work. And of particular interest, those that may curb sexual arousal and obsession.

And the most controversial, chemical castration, which may biologically remove desire. But the notion of a cure still a far away concept.

PINCUS: This is not cured. This behavior, inappropriate behavior, is not cured. We just help a person stop this behavior, so that they don't abuse children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Sanjay, you talked about it a little bit in your piece, but what are the common traits for pedophiles?

GUPTA: Yeah, I mean, there is not an absolute commonality for all pedophiles, but 90, 95 percent are men, for example. Usually low to average I.Q. Interestingly, 27 percent of those child molesters have been molested themselves, which means a vast majority of those who are molested don't go on to molest. That's an important thing to clear up, Anderson, as well.

About 45 percent of them begin their sexual interest in children before the age of 12. They themselves before the age of 12 begin their sexual interest, and then as adults, place themselves into situations where they try and gain the trust of a child -- a child- rearing facility, schools, things like that.

COOPER: Yeah, I once did an interview with actually a teenager who was a pedophile, admittedly a pedophile, who was a baby sitter, and it was actually an interview over the Internet. He wouldn't actually meet in person. It was incredibly disturbing to think that this is someone we're allowing in our homes. And you know, a kid, a teenager can actually be a pedophile. It's a strange thing.

GUPTA: And it begins at such a young age as well.

COOPER: Yeah. Sanjay Gupta, appreciate it. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COOPER: We got a couple of other stories to report. Let's get you up to date right now on the headlines. Catholic cardinals gathering to pick a new pope. Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS has that, and the other stories at about quarter to the hour. Hey, Erica.

HILL: Hi again, Anderson. That's right, 115 Roman Catholic cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel in the morning to try to choose Pope John Paul II's successor. Black smoke rose from a chimney atop the chapel today, indicating the cardinals taking part in the conclave took a vote, but did not select a new pope.

A man who was onboard a cruise ship hit by a huge wave over the weekend says he thought of the Titanic. The Norwegian Dawn ocean liner was sailing back to New York from the Bahamas on Saturday when it was hit by a 70-foot wave. Some passengers were forced to sleep in hallways in life jackets after the wave sent furniture sailing through the air. No one was seriously hurt.

Lance Armstrong says his quest for a seventh straight Tour de France title this summer will be his last. Armstrong announced today he is 100 percent committed to retiring from professional cycling following the July race. He said he wants to spend more time with his three children and at his campaign against cancer.

And that's the latest at this hour from HEADLINE NEWS. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Erica, thanks. We'll see you again in about 30 minutes.

Coming up next on our special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kids Safe," the top five things that you and your kids should know about how to protect themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: It's terrible to see those faces. We talked a lot tonight about kids in harm's way. About children who fall prey to sexual predators. Now we want to give you and your family the power to fight back. My next guest says there are five tips that could save you're child's life. Five things they need to know to reduce the risk of being attacked.

Bob Stubber is a safety expert, he uses video demonstrations to teach family on how to keep kids safe. You'll see some of his video dramatizations in moment. He joins us now from Glen Cove, California.

Good to see you. Thanks for being with us Bob.

BOB STUBBER, CHILD SAFETY EXPERT: My pleasure.

COOPER: Sarah Lunde, the Florida girl who's body was discovered this weekend, apparently let her attacker into the house. What's the most important lesson right here for kids left home alone?

STUBBER: You know, sounds like it's very basic, but it's not -- to keep the door locked. As long as the child is on this side of a locked door, they have choices. They have the power. As soon as they unlock the door and let somebody in, they lose all their power. They lose all their choices. That's when it gets dangerous. So, you have to tell kids and be specific. Don't use the word stranger. Say, keep the door locked and don't let anybody inside. Don't unlock it to talk to them. Leave it locked.

COOPER: Let's look at other specific situations. What if a child's attacked on a bike. What should they do?

STUBBER: You know, it's not uncommon for that situation to be riding -- the kid is riding the bicycle. Somebody tries to grab them off. Hold on to the bike. If the child can't run away hold the bike and don't let go. You can get the child, you can the bike but you cannot get the pair of them in a car. What the kid needs to do is hold that bike, don't let go while screaming for help.

COOPER: What if a child is being followed by a car?

STUBBER: You know, this is really interesting because again it comes down to one of these smart choices, not a scared reaction. The child's going to run, but it's the direction they run that makes a difference. Run the opposite way that the car is pointed. There's only a 50 percent chance the person will turn the car around. You've increased the safety factor by 50 percent just by making that simple choice. If you run the same way the car is pointed he can keep following you.

COOPER: And if a child is caught, and God forbid thrown into the trunk of the car, is there anything they can do?

STUBBER: Yes, absolutely. But again, we go back to the smart choices. You can kick and scream all you want, nobody is going to hear you, nobody is going to see you. But even the youngest child can be taught to pull the taillight wires. It's very easy to do. When they disconnect the break and tail light wires, they increase the odds 50 percent that the police will pull the car over, not because they're in the trunk, but because it has no brake or taillight. Then they can get there and rescue the child. It's all about giving kids permission to be safe by teaching them these choices.

COOPER: You say there are ways a child can get away from a larger heavier attacker. Something called the windmill technique. What's that?

STUBBER: Yes, the windmill technique is real basic. If a child was grabbed by somebody that's bigger and stronger than them. They can rotate their arm in a forward direction like a windmill. And that will break the other person's hold. It makes the child stronger than the attacker for about a tenth of the second. But that's all they need to get away.

But you want to be cautious and don't teach children they can beat up adults or they should go after the adult and overpower them. Because that won't happen.

COOPER: The key is just to get away. What is the most important thing for parents and kids to take away from this segment tonight?

STUBBER: You know, this is -- it all comes down to this, Anderson. It's about teaching kids to be smart, not scared. When they're scared, they become predictable. That's what the predator wants. He knows what they are going to do. Give them these choices. They'll use them if they need them. If not go on with your life. Have fun. Grow up. But they have to have choices. And it takes time to teach them so parents have to be dedicated to spend that time with them.

COOPER: Smart, not scared. Good words. Bob Stubber, thanks very much.

Coming up -- let's find out what is coming up at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Hey, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, PAULA ZAHN NOW: Hi, Anderson. How are you tonight.

COOPER: Good.

ZAHN: We're going to be talking about choosing the next pope. We have seen some startling contrasts of old and new at the Vatican. It's more than just ancient rituals meeting modern technology. It's the Catholic Church's whole attitude towards the modern world, toward women and even towards Africa. We're going to look at the many facets of the conclave that will literally put a new face on the Catholic Church.

And Anderson, we'll also be catching up with some women who are spewing pink smoke at the moment. They are running a counter conclave out of Chicago. They are very upset about how this last pope dealt with the issue of women in the church. So, you will meet some of them coming up.

COOPER: Fascinating. All happening right under that beautiful Sistine Chapel right now. Paula, thanks very much. Coming up next on this special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kid Safe." It's an issue that seems to be touching a nerve in America. When we come back, you sound off about what needs to be done to keep offenders from striking again. Send us an e-mail at cnn.com/360.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Some of the missing. Welcome back to the special edition of 360, "Predator Alert: Keeping Your Kid Safe."

We've been getting a lot of e-mail over the last hour. Rudi Bakhtiar told us earlier how to check our neighborhoods online for sexual predators.

Holly wrote, "I thought I'd log onto the sites Rudi just mentioned out of curiosity. Lo and behold, my childhood friend I grew up on with in New Haven, Connecticut came up as a sex offender. I am absolutely shocked! I'm on the phone as I type warning family and friends still in New Haven. This special is worth its weight in gold!"

If you missed the info about where to log on, you can check out our Web site, inn.com/360.

Kenneth from Florida wrote this, "Gentleman, I hate to bring this to your attention on national TV, but at the time of the incident involving Sarah Lunde, David Onstott was in compliance with his registration requirements. He had been arrested a month before for absconding, but had since resolved that issue and obtained a court date for the charges."

True, Kent, but Jessica Lunsford's alleged killer was off the books.

And Cindy from Corpus Christi had this to say, "I have checked out sex offenders in my area and was shocked to see so many, and so close. So, I made sure my kids knew what they looked like. I don't like doing this, it makes them afraid. But I always tell them knowledge is power and to stay away if possible or go to the" other -- or "go to 'safe' houses we have for our Neighborhood Watch."

All good advice. No reason for your kids to be scared. Just have them be smart. Send us our thoughts any time. Log on to cnn.com/360, click on the instant feedback link.

Thanks very much for joining us on this special edition of 360.

Prime time coverage continues right now with Paula Zahn. Hey, Paula.

END

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