What the Tech: How to find out if registered sex offenders live near you
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Technology Reporter
If your kids are heading out for trick-or-treating this Halloween, you probably know where the
best candy is, but do you know who lives in every house along the route?
If there’s a convicted sex offender nearby, you’d want to know before your kids knock on that door.
The U.S. Department of Justice makes that information easy to find through a free online tool: the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, or NSOPW.gov.
The website is named after Dru Sjodin, a 22-year-old North Dakota college student who was abducted and murdered in 2003 by a registered sex offender. Her case led to new laws and the creation of this nationwide database that pulls together information from every state, U.S. territory, and many tribal jurisdictions.
Parents can search by name, city, ZIP code, or street address to see a map of registered offenders in their area. Click on a name and you’ll see a photo, the conviction, and other available details such as aliases, vehicles, and identifying features.
There’s also a free smartphone app for iPhone and Android that uses your phone’s location to show nearby offenders on a map. It’s a quick way to check the streets where your kids will be trick-or-treating.
The data comes directly from local and state law enforcement, so information may vary depending on where you live. According to the Justice Department, there are now more than 850,000 registered sex offenders across the country.
Some states even take it further. Missouri and Illinois, for example, forbid certain offenders from turning on porch lights or handing out candy on Halloween night. In others, parole and probation officers impose similar rules — requiring offenders to stay inside and keep their lights off.
Checking your neighborhood takes just a minute, and it’s an easy way to keep your kids safe
this Halloween.
