Police, prosecutors and sex crime experts say the alleged sex abuse by Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky's alleged is illustrative of sex predation across the nation, reports the Washington Post. It is a high-profile version of what police departments and social services offices see regularly: A man in a position of trust accused of abusing those who are most vulnerable. Capt. Bill Carson of the Maryland Heights, Mo., police department, who has studied imprisoned sex offenders, noticed similarities between his cases and the Penn State case right away.
“I interviewed a lot of charismatic people that would appear to be really nice people if you didn't know what they were in prison for,” he said. “They came across as being very pleasant. A lot of them had been in a position of trust. They were youth pastors or school teachers or YMCA volunteers, Boy Scout leaders, Little League coaches. They were well respected and well thought of in their career, and when the charges came down, everyone was shocked.” Experts and law enforcement officials say the vast majority of predators share many of the same traits as Sandusky. They are teachers, counselors, clergymen, and coaches who might be close to kids anyway, so the amount of time they spend with children and the close relationships they build don't raise too many questions.