News Archive

USA Today: St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne talks about the Safe Virtual Neighborhood App.

USA Today: St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne talks about the SVN app that will notify parents when a registered sexual offender contacts their child.[/caption]Mike Cormaci, far left, joins Sheriff Champaign at the press briefing covered by USA Today. The Safe Virtual Neighborhood app is installed on your child's phone and notifies parents should a registered contact their child.

The Leading Sex Offender Registry Network Provides Tips for Families to Keep Kids Safe

Sex offender registries play an important role in helping to keep children safe. Across the nation, sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies use the OffenderWatch software to effectively manage, track and communicate sex offender information across agencies and to the public.The OffenderWatch network connects most agencies nationwide in a collaborative environment to share and communicate real-time data on convicted sex offenders in the community. Publicly shared registry information is a critical tool for parents and the community to be aware of where sex offenders live and work in relation to bus stops, parks, schools, and other places where children may be present.Sheriff and police departments have checked and verified thousands of offenders’ home addresses, updated their websites and sent out hundreds of thousands of email notifications and post cards to the public outlining offender addresses changes. These agencies maintain real-time, verified offender data on their websites. On average, a typical state has over 50,000 changes and address modifications to the registry annually. Other indirect sources that purport to provide offender information cannot provide the same level of accuracy as the law enforcement agency itself. Now that kids are heading back to the classroom, parents are encouraged to check with their local sheriffs’ offices for the most comprehensive, complete and accurate information on sex offenders available, including photos and conviction information. Local agencies also send email notifications to the public about sex offender moves. Sign up with your sheriff or police department to receive automated updates via email when any offender moves into your geographic area. Follow these tips to become more informed about sex offenders in your neighborhood and learn how to talk to your children about the dangers of sexual abuse.

Tips for Safety from Registered Sex Offenders

• Trust Sex Offender Information Coming Directly from Law Enforcement – While there are many services online purporting to offer information on registered sex offenders, citizens should only trust information provided by their local sheriff’s office, police department or the state website. These agencies have the most up-to-date and accurate information available. Citizens can search for offenders, see a map of offenders near them, or directly submit a tip to law enforcement about an offender.
• Search for Offenders In Alabama: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
• Search for Offenders in Louisiana: Louisiana State Police
• Search for Offenders in Ohio: Ohio Attorney General’s Office
• Sign Up to Receive Email Alerts When Offenders Move Into Your Neighborhood – Sign up to receive notifications from law enforcement when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood, near your work or other address. Get Email Alerts from Law Enforcement
• Show Your Child Photos of Sex Offenders In Your Neighborhood – If you have young children, consider showing them a photo of registered sex offenders in your neighborhood and talking to them about the dangers of abuse.
• Have a Conversation With Your Child – Talk to your child about threats from criminals. Avoid scary details. Speak in general terms using the using language that is honest and age appropriate. If your child could possibly have contact with a registered sex offender, show your child the sex offender's photo. Be calm and instruct your child to avoid contact with the person or being near the offender's residence or workplace. More info: Talking to Children About Sex Offenders

OffenderWatch was featured in the media when we presented a local Tulsa sergeant with our national award for excellence in sex offender registry management. Out of 15,000 law enforcement members across the country using OffenderWatch, we selected Sgt. Randy Chapman to receive an award for outstanding public safety.Watch the full story at KTUL-TV.

by Erin Christy, KTUL staff

Thursday, June 27th 2019

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — “I’d like to thank the media for being here today”

It sounded like the start of a regularly scheduled news conference, just like many Sergeant Randy Chapman had attended many times.But after Sheriff Vic Regalado started talking about recognizing one of their deputies, and continued on about the sex offender registry, Chapman quickly realized he was attending a surprise conference in his honor.“When they mentioned my name, I thought it was a joke,” said Chapman. “I thought they were pulling a gag on me.”Chapman received national recognition for excellence in overseeing the sex offender registry for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.

The software company, “OffenderWatch,” gave the award.

Sheriff Regalado says Chapman revamped their system, and because Chapman entered more data than required, it helped them solve other criminal cases.“He has implemented policy that goes above and beyond what’s required by law,” said Regalado.To Sergeant Chapman, he says, he was just doing his job like everyone else.OffenderWatch is the largest sex offender registry in the United States and works with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies. This particular award is given to one person a year.If you’d like to receive free notifications when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood, sign up here.

Jefferson County Sheriffs Office offenderwatch news[/caption]

By John Huddleston | June 13, 2019 at 10:14 PM CDT - Updated June 13 at 10:14 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - It’s a tool that you can access anytime, anywhere. It’s called OffenderWatch. It’s a national network software program used by over 3,000 law enforcement agencies that shows you where sex offenders are located.

"Notify the public of where they are living, where they are working, and it’s a great tool for us to get the message out to the communities,” said Captain David Agee, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

You can access OffenderWatch through the Sheriff’s office website.

Once there, you can input your address and it will show you where any sex offenders are living within your neighborhood.

“People want information quick and fast and it gets there. It works for us,” said Agee.

Another tool is the ability to sign up for email alerts about when sex offenders move nearby.

The Sheriff’s office was recently recognized by OffenderWatch as one of the best in the nation for community awareness and for sending out over 375,000 emails to the community.

Watch the story at WBRC.com.

KANSAS CITY (Associated Press) — Missouri is the 20th state to join a nationwide sex offender registry. 

OffenderWatch said in a news release this week that every Missouri law enforcement agency that manages or investigates registered sex offenders will be able to collaborate on offender records, aid each other in investigations and share notifications with the public. It won a five-year contract from the Missouri Highway Patrol. 

Missouri has about 16,000 registered sex offenders. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says there are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. 

OffenderWatch says its service allows different law enforcement agencies to collaborate on a single offender record, improving accuracy and aiding in public safety. Its technology is used by more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies in 37 states. Read the story from the Associated Press on the Missourian.

Agencies join forces to share investigative information, send public notifications on registered sex offenders

ROCKWALL COUNTY, Texas (May 20, 2019)—Six law enforcement agencies in Rockwall County have all joined a sex offender registry network called OffenderWatch, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management and community notification technology solution. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and about 155 registered sex offenders living in Rockwall County, law enforcement now has access to the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registries to better manage registered sex offenders, share information for investigations, and easily communicate with agencies around the country. The Rockwall Sheriff’s Office, Rockwall Police Department, Heath Dept. of Public Safety, Royce Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, and Fate City Dept. of Public Safety have all selected the same technology to collaboratively manage, track and investigate registered sex offenders.“It is my opinion that this is another example of the law enforcement agencies in Rockwall County working together in the implementation of a program that will benefit the citizens of Rockwall County from a public safety perspective,” said Rockwall County Sheriff Harold Eavenson.Through the partnership, the Rockwall agencies and OffenderWatch share online resources to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and notification program is to provide Rockwall residents with real-time website updates when an offender registers in the jurisdiction and proactive email alerts if the registered offender moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.

• Sign up for emails when sex offenders move into your neighborhood from the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office here:Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office: http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_main.php?office=56603

“Joining the OffenderWatch national network of sex offender registries benefits not only residents of Rockwall County, but also bordering cities, counties and states because law enforcement can share critical investigative information on registered offenders,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We look forward to a long-term partnership in public safety for this top agency and growing our presence in Texas.”

Agency joins Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office on OffenderWatch network, sex offender registry database in ongoing effort to keep public safeSYRACUSE, N.Y. (May 1, 2019)—The Syracuse Police Department recently joined the OffenderWatch Network, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management and community notification technology solution. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and more than 600 registered sex offenders in Syracuse, the police department now has access to the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry information to better manage registered sex offenders and communicate with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and other surrounding law enforcement agencies. The Syracuse Police Department joins a national effort to remedy communication and data silos currently found across local, state and federal law enforcement agencies when monitoring and alerting on registered sex offenders.“We look forward to our partnership with OffenderWatch. We believe it to be both an effective asset to our operational efforts to enhance public safety, and a valuable resource for communities,” said Deputy Chief Derek McGork.Through the partnership, the police department and OffenderWatch share online resources to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to provide Syracuse residents with proactive alerts and real-time updates when an offender registers or moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.The public can access the FREE OffenderWatch sex offender registry at the following link: • Syracuse: http://sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=56540 “Expanding the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry data benefits not only residents of Syracuse, but also bordering cities, counties and states by sharing critical investigative information on registered offenders,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We look forward to being a long-term partner in public safety for this top agency and growing our presence in New York.”

Agency launches OffenderWatch website, sex offender registry database in ongoing effort to keep public safe The Medford, Mass. Police Department recently joined the OffenderWatch Network, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management and community notification technology solution. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, the police department now has access to the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry information to better manage registered sex offenders and communicate with other law enforcement agencies. The Medford Police Department joins a national effort to remedy communication and data silos currently found across local, state and federal law enforcement agencies when monitoring and alerting on registered sex offenders.Through the partnership, the police department and OffenderWatch share online resources to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to provide Medford residents with proactive alerts and real-time updates when an offender registers or moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.

• The public can access the FREE OffenderWatch sex offender registry at the following link: Medford Police Department: http://sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=56594

“Expanding the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry data benefits not only residents of Medford, but also bordering cities, counties and states by sharing critical investigative information on registered offenders,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We look forward to being a long-term partner in public safety for this top agency and growing our presence in Massachusetts.”Read the story on the Medford Patch.

OffenderWatch is featured in the April 2019 issue of Police Chief magazine, published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as part of an article on "new products and advances in technology to ensure your officers are equipped with the tools they need." Download the issue here.

OffenderWatch recently announced new hires and promotions. Read the full story on Biz New Orleans.

Tim Basonic was hired as the vice president of IT. Basonic has more than 25 years of executive management, project management, software security, database design, network administration, information architecture, application development, database deployment and management experience in his roles in the private IT sector, as well as in his time in the military. As VP of IT, he coordinates projects from discovery to delivery of current IT solutions, walking in partnership with his clients through risk analysis, requirements gathering, communications, training and maintenance. Having managed more than 100 projects, he is able to implement and manage large, multi-site teams and complete complex project life cycles. Basonic and his wife founded a non-profit girls softball organization geared towards helping to give underprivileged girls who have athletic talent a chance to showcase their skills and abilities to college level recruiters.

Tim Basonic

John Strain was promoted to the director of sales position. Strain has worked with Watch Systems for nearly a decade, starting in business development and working his way up to Director of Sales. He has overseen national sales from local to statewide strategic accounts for OffenderWatch, also helping to research and uncover state and local law enforcement challenges and solutions. Prior to his current role, Strain served as Assistant Branch Rental Manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car where he received top honors in sales and setting new sales records. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in psychology.

John Strain

Lionel Hanley was promoted to the director of marketing position. Hanley has more than 25 years of experience in software product marketing, sales and project management. He joined Watch Systems and OffenderWatch in 2014 as a project manager, ensuring technology projects were on-time and under budget for new state clients. He was promoted to Director of Marketing in 2019, where he oversees all marketing efforts for the company. By working closely with state and internal IT resources, Hanley helps OffenderWatch’s software-as-a-service solutions bring immediate efficiencies and assurance of continued compliance to state customers. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in biochemistry.

Lionel Hanley

View the original news article on the Idaho Press website.

CALDWELL — The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office received national recognition in how it tracks registered sex offenders.

The sheriff’s office oversees the county’s 737 sex offenders by using a software management tool, OffenderWatch, which helps aid in investigations.

Of 3,000 agencies throughout 37 states and 13,000 users, Sheriff Kieran Donahue and the sheriff’s office received the National Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Public Service of Sex Offender Registry Management.

“I’m both honored and humbled to receive this national recognition on behalf of the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office,” said Donahue.

The sheriff’s office is responsible for managing, tracking and verifying registered sex offenders in Canyon County and notifying the public of registered sex offenders.

“Sheriff Donahue’s superior work is a model for how other law enforcement agents should manage their sex offender registries—going above and beyond to ensure the public is safe,” said Mike Cormaci, president of OffenderWatch.

The public can sign up to receive free notifications when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood or near any address by visiting sheriffalerts.com.

‍Story from KTVH-TV - View full story here.

(HELENA) The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Helena Police Department are introducing a new tool to track registered sexual and violent offenders.

On Thursday, Sheriff Leo Dutton and HPD Lt. Brett Petty demonstrated the agencies’ new online system, managed through the nationwide company OffenderWatch.

“This demonstrates partnership with the community,” said Dutton. “We care about who’s in our community, and we care about the citizens that live here. That’s what this will show.”

The public can now search online for any sexual or violent offenders living in their neighborhoods. The database includes offenders’ names, addresses, physical descriptions and what they were convicted of. Sexual offenders’ photos are also included. State law does not permit violent offenders’ photos to be added.

Residents can also sign up to receive email notifications when a new offender moves in.

LCSO and HPD previously had their own database of offenders, but it was all made up of paper files. When Lewis and Clark County signed a contract with OffenderWatch last year, it allowed agencies to access that company’s national database.

“What Offender Watch allowed us to do was go digital,” said Petty. “So now there’s a digital database out there. Anyone that’s signed up with OffenderWatch can look in there and see who we have.”

HPD records clerk Dana Dopp was responsible for digitizing almost 500 offenders’ files.

OffenderWatch partners with more than 3,500 law enforcement agencies in 37 states. Dutton said joining their system will help local law enforcement monitor offenders moving in from other areas. It will make it easier for other agencies to alert LCSO or HPD if an offender leaves an area and they believe the person is coming to Lewis and Clark County.

“Before, there were many times that did not happen, so we had sexual and violent offenders living here that weren’t necessarily honest and we never knew anything about,” Dutton said. “This will cut down on that substantially.”

The system will also allow officers in the field to get up-to-date information, including photos, on their smartphones or other devices. That can be especially helpful when they are conducting compliance checks on an offender.

“It’s worth it,” said Dutton. “It’s worth it to have the ability – the citizens to be able to check, and deputies and officers to be able to have current information, real-time, and pictures when they go out to look at someone.”

You can find links to the OffenderWatch system on the LCSO website and the HPD website.

HELENA, Mont. (Feb. 28, 2019) – The Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is the first law enforcement agency in Montana to adopt OffenderWatch, the nation’s leading sex offender registry network. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and more than 2,700 registered sex offenders in Montana, LCSO and the Helena Police Department now have access to the OffenderWatch Network to help better manage registered sex offenders, communicate with other law enforcement agencies, and notify the public.

“OffenderWatch will help us and the Helena Police Department improve our investigations, improve our sex offender management systems, and provide real-time notifications to the public,” said Sheriff Leo Dutton of the LCSO. “We’re excited to be the first agency in Montana to adopt the ground-breaking OffenderWatch technology.”

Through the partnership, online resources are available to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to provide Lewis & Clark county citizens with proactive alerts and real-time updates when an offender registers or moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.

The public can access the FREE OffenderWatch sex offender registry at the following link:
• Lewis & Clark County: http://sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=56579

OffenderWatch was featured in Government Technology magazine in their article, "Police Hope Software Can Help Avoid 'Losing' Sex Offenders." OffenderWatch helps improve investigations by increasing agency efficiency through the use of one offender record, updated in real time.

Read the story.

OffenderWatch was featured in The Advocate and St. Tammany Farmer newspapers. Read the full article.

BY TARA MCLELLAN | Special to The Farmer

A local company has been aiding law enforcement for nearly 20 years, providing critical information on sex offenders to more than 3,000 agencies nationwide.

With a new app called Safe Virtual Neighborhood set to launch in late February, WatchSystems, which is located in Covington, is moving forward in a way that also may change how families approach personal and online safety.

The app will help parents keep a close eye on their kids’ devices, said Mike Cormaci, co-founder of WatchSystems, who has five kids of his own.

All registered sex offenders are required to provide updated cellphone information, which the Safe Virtual Neighborhood app will store. Parents can upload the application to their kids’ phones, and if a sex offender communicates with them via text, Snapchat, email or phone call, parents will get an alert on their own device.

Cormaci designed the technology to track sex offenders in 2002. The idea came him as a light-bulb moment while on the job.

“My partner Lou Luzynski and I worked together (previously) at Fuel Man, the nation’s largest fleet fueling card company,” he said. “Our cards tracked the fuel that was used, how much, and where. I got started thinking, what if law enforcement could use our mapping technology to help them track crime.

"I started talking to a member of the California Sheriff’s Association during my travels, and he said, ‘I don’t need help tracking crime, but I do need help tracking sex offenders.’”

With the seed planted, Cormaci brought the idea to Luzynski and his company.

“Back in Covington, I put this idea out there, and soon got called into the principal’s office: (They said,) ‘You want to do what?’ Two to three years later, Lou retired and suggested I retire, too, and we start our own company with my idea. That's how we got started," he said.

The company has 40 employees at its Covington headquarters, he added.

Read the full article on The New Orleans Advocate.

Read the full article at Police Chief magazine from their January 2019 issue.

OffenderWatch Offers Tips on Reading and Understanding Sex Offender Registries Before Going Trick-or-Treating

COVINGTON, La. (Oct. 8, 2018) – Do you know whose door you’re knocking on while trick-or-treating? Every home may not be safe: There are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States[1], many convicted of crimes against minors. Before trick-or-treating this season, sheriff’s offices and police departments advise parents to check their local sex offender registry. However, many parents may not know where to look or what information is most important on the registries. OffenderWatch, the nation’s leader in sex offender registry management, shares its tips on reading and understanding sex offender registries. OffenderWatch partners with law enforcement nationwide to provide technical solutions and a network for managing sex offender registries. With more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies using OffenderWatch, Americans conduct about 1.3 million searches on its sex offender registries per week.“ Knowledge is power. We want parents to not only have the information families need to have a safe Halloween, but to also understand that information,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We’ve partnered with law enforcement across the country for more than 20 years, helping to improve the sex offender registry and making it easier for both law enforcement and the public to use.”

Tips for Finding and Understanding Your Sex Offender Registry

1. Use a sex offender registry published by law enforcement. Not all registries are created equal: Many third-party websites publish outdated sex offender data, claiming it is accurate. Parents and guardians should only trust data provided through local law enforcement. To find your registry, search the website of your county’s sheriff’s office or police department, or visit https://smart.gov/sorna-map.htm and click on your state.
2. Use the map/geographical feature to find offenders in your area. While on your county or city’s sex offender registry, input your home address or the address where you’ll be trick-or-treating to view a map of offenders in that area. Print out the map with addresses to take with you.
3. Understand the difference between offender risk level and tiers in your state. Every state identifies sex offenders differently, segmenting offenses with risk levels and tiers. Visit your state police website to find a list of offenses, risk levels and descriptions.
4. Talk to your children. If sex offenders live in your neighborhood, point out their house to your children and explain the offender has a criminal record. Tell your children to let you know if the sex offender tries to talk to them or lure them inside.

[1] National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, http://www.missingkids.com/content/dam/ncmec/en_us/SOR%20Map%20with%20Explanation.pdf

By Port City Daily staff The database is updated in real time based on information from thousands of law enforcement agencies and is available at no cost, 24-7. Read the full article on Port City Daily.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A quick search using the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office “Offender Watch” registry shows 41 sex offenders within 5 miles of Leland’s town hall, 15 within 5 miles of Southport’s downtown, and dozens more across the county.

The new online registry, launched by Brunswick County Sheriff John W. Ingram, allows residents to search for registered sex offenders located inside a “user-defined radius” from any Brunswick County address; users can adjust the radius from a quarter-mile to five miles.

“Offender Watch is a great tool in keeping residents informed of anyone moving into their communities who might be a potential threat to their families. I hope this tool will offer citizens peace of mind in knowing that information is easily accessible,” Ingram said.

The registry also allows residents to sign up for updates, “alerting them if an offender or predator should register an address within their specified radius of their address,” according to Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Emily Flax.

Residents can sign up for updates for as many addresses as they like, at no cost, Flax said.
The Offender Watch data is updated in real time as offender data is received by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, according to Flax. The online registry links the county to over 5,000 law enforcement agencies.

Nation’s Leading Sex Offender Registry Network Provides Tips with Law Enforcement to Keep Kids SafeAs children head back to the classroom, OffenderWatch, the nation’s leading sex offender registry network, has partnered with local Florida law enforcement offices to share tips for parents on how to talk to their children about warning signs of sex offenders and safety tips.More than a dozen Florida sheriffs’ offices and police departments participate in the OffenderWatch network, which helps law enforcement agencies work from one offender record and share critical information across agencies and state lines. OffenderWatch also partners with law enforcement to send community email and mail notifications to citizens when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood.Safety Tips for Talking to Your Child About Sex Offenders• Avoid scary details. Include general information when speaking to children. You know more than your child needs to know. Use language that is honest and age-appropriate (e.g. “There are people who do bad things to children.”).• If your children could possibly have contact with a registered sex offender, you should show your children the sex offender's photo. In a manner that does not incite panic: Instruct your children to avoid contact with the offender, even if the offender's offenses of conviction does not involve an offense against a child. Instruct them to avoid being near the offender's residence or workplace.• Encourage your children to tell you if the sex offender initiates contact with them.• Encourage your children to tell you about any contact from any other person who makes them feel uncomfortable. It is important to teach your children about appropriate and inappropriate contact and to encourage regular discussion about their interactions with other people.• Teach your children: DON'T take rides from strangers; DON'T harass or visit any sex offender's home or yard; DO tell a safe adult if anyone acts inappropriately toward them (e.g. creepy, too friendly, threatening, offering gifts in a secret way, or touching them); DO RUN, SCREAM, and GET AWAY if someone is bothering them; DON'T keep secrets; DON'T assist strangers; DON'T go places alone; DO ask questions and DO talk about any uncomfortable feelings or interactions.• Make it a habit to listen to your children and to believe them.For more safety tips and information, please visit the website below.Access More Safety Tips & Resources Online• To access additional safety tips and parent resources, please visit http://communitynotification.com/counties.php?state=FL and click on your sheriff’s office link.• Once on your sheriff’s office page, click the “Safety Tips” tab at the top of the page.Sign-Up for Sex Offender Community NotificationsSign up to receive community notifications when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood or near another address. To register for the free communications, visit:• http://communitynotification.com/counties.php?state=FL• Click on your county’s Sheriff’s Office, and then click on “Register for Email Alerts.”Read the story on the Boca Raton Tribune: http://www.bocaratontribune.com/bocaratonnews/2018/09/sex-offender-safety-tips/

By: Amanda Aguilar, KSNW-TVSEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) - There are nearly 3,000 active drug, sex and violent offenders in Sedgwick County. Residents can keep an eye on them with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office OffenderWatch tool.A resident can enter the address and view offenders that live in the area."You need to know who's living across the street, next door to you," said Sgt. Conrad Jansson. "Looks can be deceiving. Typically, these people aren't monsters or people that they have envisioned in their head. They look like you and I."The tool shows a description of the offender, what the offender was convicted of, what car they drive and where they live.Residents can sign up to receive alerts of when an offender moves into their area. They can also submit tips if an offender may be doing something he or she shouldn't be doing.Sgt. Jansson said they receive resident tips every day about offenders.Sedgwick County manages more offenders than any other county in Kansas.Offenders must go into the offender registration office every three months to verify all their information is correct.There are four deputies in the Offender Registration department that are in charge of all of the county's offenders. Deputies go on "address check" every day to make sure the offender is living and working where they're supposed to, and driving the same car that they registered.According to the sheriff's office, 98-percent of the county's offenders are compliant -- which is higher than the national average of 95-percent. There are 62 offenders that are non-compliant and have warrants.The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office OffenderWatch tool can be found here. Only two-percent of households are registered for the county's program.WATCH THE VIDEO: https://www.ksn.com/news/local/offenderwatch-tool-shows-where-offenders-live-near-you/1393005371

Maryland Becomes 17th State to Join National OffenderWatch Sex Offender Network

Maryland Sheriffs, Dept. of Corrections to Share Data, Easily Update Sex Offender Records Through New Technology

COVINGTON, La. (Aug. 24, 2018)—Maryland is now the 17th state in the U.S. to join the OffenderWatch sex offender registry network through a statewide contract. Every Maryland sheriff’s office, registering police department, as well as the Maryland Dept. of Corrections and Department of Public Safety, will deploy the OffenderWatch technology to easily share records on sex offenders, communicate with agencies both inside as well as outside of the state, and improve work flow and better allocate resources for proactive offender management and better public safety. With 3,600 law enforcement agencies in 37 states currently adopting the technology, OffenderWatch is the nation’s leading sex offender registration, monitoring and community notification solution.“ Wicomico County has been an OffenderWatch client for several years. My agency saw the need very early to adopt a program that not only allowed our Sex Offender Registry Unit to communicate with our neighboring counties and police departments, but also can communicate in real time with agencies outside of Maryland when potentially dangerous offenders moved into Wicomico County. My citizens deserve the most accurate and timely notifications to protect their families. I am very happy that 6 million people will now have the ability to receive the same type of notifications across Maryland,” said Sheriff Mike Lewis of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office. With more than 800,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and nearly 10,000 registered sex offenders in the state of Maryland alone, sheriffs will now be able to better manage registered sex offenders and communicate with other law enforcement agencies. Through the OffenderWatch partnership, online resources are available to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to provide Maryland citizens with proactive alerts and real-time updates when an offender registers or moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.The public can access the free OffenderWatch sex offender registry and sign up for e-notifications at the following link:• http://sheriffalerts.com/counties.php?state=MD“For too long, law enforcement data has been siloed—with agencies not sharing critical, sometimes life-saving, information with one another. With OffenderWatch, we make sharing data and updating offender records seamless and easy, so that our law enforcement members can focus less on paperwork and more on keeping our communities safe,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch.

OffenderWatch, the Largest Sex Offender Registry Network in the U.S., Awarded Contract with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Louisiana-based company achieves international growth through collaboration

COVINGTON, La. (May 4, 2018) – OffenderWatch, the leading public safety sex offender registry network in the United States, is pleased to announce that it will be working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to modernize the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry. This marks the first time that OffenderWatch, headquartered in Covington, La., has worked with a law enforcement agency outside of the U.S.OffenderWatch was awarded the contract to modernize the RCMP’s National Sex Offender Registry, following a Government of Canada procurement process. The contract between the RCMP and OffenderWatch is focused on making technical enhancements to the RCMP’s existing national database, and as such, no protected information will leave RCMP premises.“ OffenderWatch has specialized in the sex offender registry space servicing local, state and federal law enforcement partners for nearly 20 years,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “The flexibility and innovation of our platform allows for comprehensive implementation of the entire country of Canada with features and adaptability not realized before.” There are numerous benefits to collaborating on a single sex offender record across any jurisdiction and Canada is no exception. With the OffenderWatch technological backbone supporting the new Canadian system, public safety agencies across Canada can configure certain features to bring efficiency in records management and investigations. OffenderWatch currently works with more than 3,500 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in 36 states in the United States—with statewide implementation in 16 of those states. The OffenderWatch network accounts for more than 60 percent of sex offenders in the U.S. New programs and services are now expanding that population to close to 80 percent domestically. Working with the RCMP, OffenderWatch will build and deploy a national solution that will be unmatched by any other national program, as many of the features are collaboratively designed by the RCMP and OffenderWatch over and above what is currently available in the core system. The purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to bring efficiency realized in the United States to law enforcement agencies. “Our capabilities for geocoding, radial-based searches and hosting structure allow for large concurrent access and improve public safety,” Cormaci said. Through this collaboration, in addition to public safety features for federal, provincial and local law enforcement across Canada, the solution will achieve several goals for the RCMP, including:

• Improve the quality of registered sex offender data by enforcing mandatory data fields and increasing data validation
• Increase compliance with current legislation
• Advance work processes by increasing efficiency of workflows and reducing manual processes and paper files

For more information about OffenderWatch, please visit www.WatchSystems.com. About OffenderWatch - There are more than 800,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. Most states have a different system for tracking these offenders, making it difficult for agencies to keep records when the offenders cross state lines. The OffenderWatch Network is the largest sex offender registry system in the U.S., working with more than 3,500 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in 36 states. Founded in 2000 in Covington, La. under the Watch Systems company, OffenderWatch has expanded to include data on registered sex offenders from sheriffs’ offices, police departments, Attorney Generals’ offices, U.S. Marshal judicial districts, U.S. attorneys, federal and state probation and parole agents, department of corrections, Indian tribes, and more. The network delivers greater efficiency with technology, policy and procedure regarding sex offender monitoring and community notification. OffenderWatch partnered with Canada in spring 2018 to enhance the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry. Learn more at OffenderWatch.com.

OffenderWatch president Mike Cormaci authored an article in the May/June 2018 issue of Sheriff & Deputy magazine about OffenderWatch FOCUS. Learn how OffenderWatch uses big data to help better manage the worst sex offenders. Click the image or link below to read the full article.