Gov. Lawton Chiles signed into law the Jimmy Ryce Act in 1996. Claudine and Don Ryce were on hand. Photo by Charles Trainor Jr.

Jimmy Ryce's father, Don, speaks out on the state of the legislation approved in his son's name.

VERO BEACH - For Don Ryce, pushing for the law that bears his son's name was a way of fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable.

Known as the Jimmy Ryce Act, the legislation that passed in 1998 was hailed as breakthrough in a long effort to stem the types of sex crimes that led to his 9-year-old son's death.

He and his wife, Claudine, believed the law kept the worst offenders off the streets but knew it was far from perfect.

Informed of The Miami Herald's findings, based on a six-month investigation into the program, he said there's more work to do.

He was surprised and saddened so many offenders were slipping through without treatment -- only to commit new crimes.

	President Clinton signing legislation to post missing children's posters in federal buildings; at far left, the Ryces in Tallahassee in 1996 with then-Gov. Lawton Chiles. File Photo/Miami Herald

''Every time a crime like this takes place, you've lost a battle in the war,'' he said during an interview with The Miami Herald at his home in Vero Beach. ``It may be that Claudine and I will have to get involved and get some more legislation passed.''

He said scrutiny is an important part of keeping the law viable.

''I've said many times, the more we talk about this issue, the better,'' he said. ``The only time we make advances in this area is after a tragedy. No matter how riled up the public and the political figures get, it dies down again and becomes a matter of neglect until another tragedy.''

Since their son's death, the Ryces created the Jimmy Ryce Center, www.jimmyryce.org, to promote public awareness of sexual predators and predatory abductions. They helped place more than 400 bloodhounds -- the only living beings they believe that might have saved their son -- in police departments all across the country. They speak to groups of law enforcement officers and prosecutors and talk to grieving parents.

Some experts worry that laws enacted amid highly charged cases like Jimmy's death create a public panic that all sexual offenders are killers. They say the hysteria often leads to tougher laws but does little to curb sex crimes through treatment.