Registered Sex Offender Sites - Have you looked?

I love the Internet and the ability that it gives everyone to find out all kinds of information readily and easily. These days, I fashion myself as an amateur online Columbo - I can research and sleuth out all kinds of information about people. It's borderline "stalkeresque" but it has come in handy several times. For instance, I found the name and address of the horrible landlord's down the street and called them up to do something about the garbage emanating from their rental.

I am always amazed about the amount of public information out there that anyone can access. In the Seattle area, almost everything government related is now archived online. HOWEVER, one of the things that I can't bring myself to do is look up information about where registered sex offenders are located.

As a mother, I feel kind of guilty about not doing some due diligence about who is in the neighborhood. But honestly, I am terrified about finding out something that I might not want to know - like my neighbor Mr. Smith is a convicted rapist or that there's five sex offenders that live within 1 mile of my house. Perhaps it's irrational, but I think the information will make me feel like I am a prisoner in my own home.

What I am wondering:

• Does anyone else refuse to look - even though you know you can?
• Have you actually looked and wish you hadn't?
• Does looking make you feel empowered? How has it helped?

Giyen writes at Bacon Is My Enemy and vlogs Momversation. When she's not on the interweb she is writing haikus about the virtues of butter and crusty french bread.