It has some merit. Between those who will be discouraged from applying for jobs of this sort (any direct interaction with children) and those who will be caught and then stopped, there will be children who are spared from the predators through this method. Then of course there are those who know the system and will use the loopholes. Schools, churches, recreational centers, hospitals-all have seen the child predators gaining employment through false methods. We had one recently, where a sex offender who went after children, resided within 50 feet of a park, another was living adjacent to a school-they slip through. The one near the park, was living with his mother and hadn't informed the authorities (they still had him as living elsewhere, in a place he had sublet to another).


And there is the larger picture. The predator will still be out there, they just won't be as much in the public eye. It would serve better to teach children to understand that even the person selling ice cream is a stranger and should be seen as such. Teaching children the difference between appropriate and inappropriate contact would go further as well as helping them to realize the importance of reporting.


All that said, it is a step in the right direction.