Let me tell you a little story:
My last year in college, I moved into some brand new duplexes built onto a dead-end street right outside the city part of Hammond, LA. I thought it would be great because they had no issues with me having my dogs, and there seemed to be lots of people my age moving in.
About a month after I moved in, I got a new neighbor. I remember vividly the day he walked across the front lawn area to introduce himself. I was standing outside with Wrigley, my 90+lb Shar Pei/Cane Corso. While Wrigley was very intimidating in looks-wise, he had never so much as growled at a person. Well, as the guy approached, Wrigley watched him like a snake watches its prey. Next thing I knew, Wrigley had placed himself in front of me between my legs, and was pressing back against me forcing me to take a few steps backwards. He had his hackles raised, and was emitting the most horrific growl I had ever heard out of dog. Let's put it this way: even though he had a typical Shar Pei head/muzzle, he had those lips lifted so high you could see the gleam of white off each and every tooth.
Needless to say, the guy stopped approaching, and just introduced himself as "Josh", my new neighbor and chef at Copeland's in Metarie. I was so shaken by Wrigley that I just said hello and excused us.
I lived there for 9 months, and Wrigley never let him get close to me or my front door. Because of Wrig's behavior, I never really liked or trusted Josh, but he seemed alright. All of us on the street used to even have "neigborhood" suppers together (although never at my apartment).
About 3 months after I moved out, I found out he exposed himself to my neighbor's (across the street) 6-yr-old son. This was done during one of those neighborhood dinners, and he actually had the nerve to do it while sitting in the living room while the women were right there in the kitchen (open concept...completely open to the living room). I know he was arrested, but I then lost contact with my neighbor (I had moved back to Baton Rouge).
Fast forward many more months, after I was married, and one night while watching the local news, I saw police had captured the man impersonating an officer and pulling women over on I-55 (an interstate over a bayou) and raping them. I nearly choked on my own tongue when they flashed the mugshot on my t.v. screen: it was my old neighbor! His name certainly wasn't "Josh", and turns out he was a convicted child molester, who had already served time for molesting a 7-yr-old boy (before the incident with my former neighbor's son). The system had "lost" him for a short time, as he moved without notifying where he moved to-the other half of my duplex.
I fully believe that Wrigley saved my life. My APBTs were no real deterrent, as they liked everyone. But "Josh" always tried to engage me in conversation, and he always invited me over to eat with him and his girlfriend, but because of Wrigley's reaction to him every time upon seeing him, I always declined. I can only imagine what could have happened to me had I not had Wrigley there to warn me as to this guy's true character.
(bogart, you may remember the story of the I-55 rapist guy)
So yes, on one hand I understand not freaking out, but on the other hand, a person who has committed such acts isn't immune from branching out into other acts of force, domination, and/or perversion.
There's no way I would sit back and let a sex offender peacefully lived next to me. One of us would be gone. Period. And spare me the lectures and eyerolls. I refuse to take the chance with one of my boys.