With just under 200 registered sex offenders living in Shelby County, each of us must do our part to help keep our families and our neighborhoods safe.

It’s good to know that sheriff’s deputies do their part by making it a priority to check in on registered offenders frequently and keep the sex offender registry up to date.

However, the police cannot be everywhere at once. Check out page 2A of this newspaper, where we have a map of the sex offenders registered with the sheriff’s office. We also have a list of corresponding names and addresses.

Note if any sex offenders live in your area; if so, keep your eyes and ears open, and make sure your family members and neighbors are aware of the situation.

On page 3A, you can see the definitions of various sexual crimes, so if there is an offender near you, you can know exactly what he or she was charged with.

Also, take advantage of the sheriff’s office Web site at Shelbyso.com. You can keep up with the sex offender registry anytime, allowing you to see if the number of offenders has changed in your neighborhood or city.

Remember, not all sex offenders are registered. Make sure your loved ones understand the importance of staying alert and watchful in all situations. Go over ground rules with your children, ensuring they know what’s appropriate and what’s not.

With so much helpful information available to us, each of us should be able to help safeguard ourselves and our loved ones against sexual crimes.

The We Say is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.