A 31-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender as mandated by state law, according to the Grimes County District Attorney’s Office. Gage Anthony Stringo was sentenced on July 12 of this year after pleading guilty to the charge of failing to register.

Stringo was arrested on November 5, 2023, during a routine encounter with deputies from the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office in Todd Mission, TX. Authorities investigated and discovered that Stringo had not registered since April 2020, despite the fact that he had been sentenced to prison and was required to maintain lifetime registration after his release due to a prior conviction for indecency with a child in Montgomery County.

Sgt. Trey Oldham of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office noted that Stringo’s case is not unique, but explained how OffenderWatch has helped his county mitigate the strain that many law enforcement agencies face due to non-compliant offenders. 

While Sgt. Oldham acknowledged that some offenders abscond from the area or fail to keep up with the requirements, others face challenges—including homelessness—that can interfere with their ability to register even if they intend to stay compliant. 

“They bounce from place to place a lot of times, so it’s a little bit more difficult to keep up. They face other challenges too, like transportation needs and communication needs to communicate. So that’s a bigger challenge for them and for us,”

Sgt. Oldham noted that all of these issues can strain the resources of agencies that don’t have an integrated system for collecting and sharing sex offender records across jurisdictions because they have to transfer and manage all of their files manually. Manual management processes are not only more time consuming; they also contain more potential failure points for monitoring agencies.

“We have a unique situation and we’re also kind of fortunate when it comes to working with other counties and even other agencies that are out of state [because of OffenderWatch]. If a sex offender is moving from our jurisdiction, say to a jurisdiction in another state that is also an OffenderWatch agency, we can literally pick that sex offender’s profile and hand it over to that partner agency immediately,” Sgt. Oldham said. “So it makes the transition a lot smoother and a lot faster. For non-OffenderWatch agencies, of course, they would have to do things in a manual way. So they would have to either mail records or email records individually,” 

Thanks to OffenderWatch and the active efforts of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office to regularly monitor offenders and verify their addresses more efficiently, Sgt. Oldham pointed out that Brazos County has succeeded in keeping non-compliance rates very low. Many experts conclude that minimizing non-compliance is key to preventing repeat offenses.

 “I think that the biggest goal of the sex offender program is to make sure that sex offenders are accounted for. We know where they’re at at all times,” Sgt. Oldham said. 

Currently, there are nearly 800,000 individuals throughout the United States who have been placed on a sex offender registry, with the state of Texas alone accounting for approximately 100,000 of that total.

‍

Don Thanars, territory manager, takes a selfie with participants during a recent training session. During the week of April 17–24, OffenderWatch team members Mark Wilson, Business Development Manager, and Don Thanars, Territory Manager, completed four Kansas area training sessions conducted at law enforcement agencies in Rooks County, Lyon County, Sedgwick County, and Ford County.The well attended sessions included two representatives from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations whose overall responsibility is for the state sex offender registry, as well as 40 users representing 16 agencies from around the state. Also in attendance were several prospect agencies from surrounding areas.Wilson and Thanars achieved their objectives to provide refresher and more in-depth training on underutilized or unused areas of the OffenderWatch application, including TIPS and the Kansas transaction log.Additionally, they provided updates on OffenderWatch development efforts and add-on product offerings, including the new OffenderWatch app, a FREE Family Safety app offered to the public.The training sessions were very beneficial to all participants and a positive step towards enhancing relationships with existing customers, expanding OffenderWatch’s footprint in Kansas, and continuing to help partners use the industry’s leading network to its full potential to help prevent the unthinkable.

Over the past several months, OffenderWatch has been proud to recognize several individuals at different law enforcement agencies with a National Recognition for Excellence in managing sex offender registries for their departments. The National Certificate of Recognition is awarded to only a handful of people each year among the 16,000 registered users of the Offender Watch system.

Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Detective Louis Ramos of the Highlands County Sheriff Office’s Special Victims Unit in Florida was among the recent honorees. Ramos, who oversees the sex offenders and career offenders living in Highlands county, was honored for implementing "policies and procedures well above the ordinary minimum requirements set forth by state laws so as to ensure the law enforcement community and citizens are made aware of offender movements, status and risks.” Don Thanars, OffenderWatch territory manager who presented the award, said the entire Special Victims Unit team is to be commended for their work monitoring sex offenders in Highlands County. "It takes all the pieces working together to ensure compliance, and ultimately the citizens benefit. The community should be proud of its sex offender management team," he said. Ramos added that he learned how to do his job from Detective Cara Moseley, who held the position prior to him, and that she deserves as much credit for the award.

Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Robin Smith, OffenderWatch territory manager, recently visited Atlanta to meet the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit and to applaud members’ efforts. Smith presented the National Certificate of Recognition to Law Enforcement Division Commander Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Jones and the team. Fulton County’s previous sheriff, Sheriff Theodore “Ted” Jackson, said, “This critical Unit has continually worked behind the scenes to manage and coordinate all of the sex offender registrants in Fulton County while adhering to social distancing protocols and CDC guidelines for safety during the pandemic. Simultaneously, staff members’ attention to detail with registrant records and networking with detectives and other law enforcement jurisdictions is an excellent example of the quality of service our deputies and civilian staff give daily.” The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for more than 2,500 offenders throughout the county. The Sex Offender Unit is comprised of the following individuals: Mrs. A. Gaither, Mrs. J. Smith, Deputy L. Cummings, Deputy L. Williams, with assistance from Ms. Vickie Davis, and Sergeant A. Slocum. Since the start of the pandemic, the FCSO Sex Offender Unit registered more than 150 new offenders. The Unit provided services to 829 offenders and issued 118 warrants for those offenders not in compliance.

Morgan County Sheriff’s Office The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit in Alabama was also among the recipients. The MCSO Special Victims Unit consists of registry compliance coordinator Cindy Crowell, Sgt. Charles Radke and Investigator Caleb Brooks. The SVU team manages approximately 200 sex offenders and has a 99 percent compliance rate among offenders – meaning 1 percent of the offenders have a compliance issue during the year. Individuals who fall out of compliance are quickly followed up with by investigators and can face additional charges. In addition, the SVU team also works to ensure complete, accurate and comprehensive offender records; to track offenders moving in and out of the county; and to promote interagency cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service investigating and locating runaway offenders.

North Las Vegas Police Department North Las Vegas Police Department Investigative Specialist Sonia Aispuro was also recognized as a national leader in her field for her outstanding public service and leadership administering the department's Offender Watch database. As an Investigative Specialist, one of Aispuro’s many duties includes managing the city’s sex offender records on Offender Watch. Aispuro diligently checks sex offender records to make sure they are up to date and verifies that offenders are compliant with the law, which helps keep their neighborhoods safe. This also allows the department to provide timely and accurate information about convicted sex offenders to the community. "It is truly an honor to be recognized by Watch Systems and I am very humbled to receive this award,” Aispuro said. "I know I would not have been considered if I didn't have the support of such an amazing team. I am very proud to be part of a Blue Family that is so dedicated to serving our community. This really is a team award.”Aispuro has served nearly 20 years with the department. “It is apparent that public safety is a top priority for all of these agencies, with the entire staff working together to go above and beyond what’s required by state law. Their staffs work very hard to collect comprehensive data on every sex offender in their jurisdictions so that the public has all of the information necessary to protect themselves,” said Mike Cormaci, president of OffenderWatch. The OffenderWatch Network is the largest sex offender registry system in the U.S., working with more than 3,000 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in 37 states.

This past December, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) made seven arrests in connection with the “Operation Holiday Check” county-wide operation aimed at targeting sex offenders and predators in violation of their release conditions.Prior to the operation, WCSO used grant money from the U.S. Marshals Service to conduct significant pre-sweep research regarding 100 high-risk offenders. Officers researched and compiled data with OffenderWatch’s real-time records to compile motor vehicle archives for unreported vehicles, information from computer-aided dispatch calls for service related to associated addresses and names, potential phone numbers and properties aggregated from TLO software, and social media information from potential unreported phones and e-mail addresses.After compiling all relevant information into an OffenderWatch verification form, officers then presented it to the applicable offender to review and sign for confirmation. If an offender failed to report additional phone numbers, e-mails and other addresses that have been discovered, they have then officially violated the terms of their conviction.In December 2020, cell phone records were subpoenaed to track movements of suspected violating offenders and found some were leaving the county without making proper notifications to their local law enforcement agency. Thanks to OffenderWatch, officers were able to notate missing data in offender files so when the law enforcement team conducted their residence checks, missing data and photos of residences were instantly compiled and shared with partner agencies.Thanks to OffenderWatch’s comprehensive data management system, officers were able to uncover a number of violations that would have otherwise never been discovered. Officers can utilize our verification form not only to confirm their aggregated data, but also signal to registered offenders that agencies are paying careful attention and insisting on strict compliance.Det. Sgt. Brett Surace of WCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division says that OffenderWatch is the “repository and centerpiece” for a compliance management program, noting that “it doesn’t get any better than this,” after the successful operation.WCSO’s usage of OffenderWatch for Operation Holiday Check exemplifies a national best practice on how our software easily manages, compiles and shares data between law enforcement agencies, U.S. Marshals offices and other connected agencies, keeping our communities safe from violating offenders.Learn more about how your agency can join the OffenderWatch Network.

TheOsceola County(Florida)Sheriff’sOffice, US Marshals Service(USMS),and Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted a joint operation, culminating in the arrest of 58 noncompliant sexual predators and offenders. For the operation, the agencies relied heavily on using OffenderWatch to search historical records, develop intelligence leads, and track offender movements.The historical notes and documents in OffenderWatch collectively helped the agencies involved to develop a plan that successfully resulted in multiple apprehensions. Known as “Operation 2020 Vision,” the operation ran from March until the end of August of 2020.“The mission of Operation 2020 Vision was to attempt to identify new unregistered sex offenders as well as unreported vehicles, cellular phones and non-compliant transient offenders,”Positively Osceola reported. Out of the 58 arrests, the operation resulted in:77 felony charges for failure to register and violation of sexual offender probation and one case which violated the Adam Walsh Act (18 USC 2250(a) requirement to register after crossing state lines. According to Det. Michelle Keeferof the Osceola Sheriff’s Dept., “We use OffenderWatch every day. It contains a wealth of information that allows us to more effectively and efficiently do our jobs. There are only two of us who track offenders, and we couldn’t do without nOffenderWatch.” OffenderWatchprovides a level of detail many times not found through the state’s registry system. “OffenderWatch is our primary tool,” Keefer said. “We’re already planning operations for 2021 and will be using it. We couldn’t do[our work]without it.”

The New Orleans Police Department and the United States Marshals Service, in conjunction with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office and Louisiana State Law Enforcement, conducted their annual “Operation Saints and Sinners” to locate wanted offenders this fall. Out of 131 sex offender compliance checks, this year’s initiative led to 45 arrests across the New Orleans metro area. Of those arrested during the two-month operation, 27 were registered sex offenders who failed to maintain the terms of their sentencing. Each failure to properly report their information is a felony offense.The team relied heavily on OffenderWatch’s Sex Offender Registry Network to search historical offender records and to compile reports across agencies. Their research assisted the New Orleans Police Department Special Victims Section with multiple ongoing cases.“I’m not sure what they did before OffenderWatch, but if I had to do all of this manually, I’d go back to the road,” says NOPD’s Detective Reuben Henry. “[OffenderWatch is] vital to what we do every day.”OffenderWatch’s data saves agencies time and money to work efficiently and effectively. The historical information, including known associates, vehicles, and jobs is invaluable and helps locate offenders quickly. What used to take weeks of research now takes only minutes to compile.Detective Henry noted that he is looking forward to maximizing’s OffenderWatch’s capabilities in upcoming initiatives with law enforcement agencies across the region to identify and locate non-compliant offenders.In preparation for Halloween, parents are encouraged to check for the registered sex offenders in their area and sign up for free email alerts. Register here: www.OffenderWatch.com/alertsOffenderWatch will soon offer a free version of its OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood app to help parents who are concerned about sex offenders. Stay tuned for the release of the OffenderWatch app and learn more here: https://offenderwatch.com/safe-virtual-neighborhood/.

Registered sex offenders often move from city to city without alerting their registering law enforcement offices. When this happens, the registering agencies must open investigations to find the non-compliant offender.However, if both agencies are in the OffenderWatch Network, they will often receive notifications about offenders who have moved – saving time and manpower performing failure to register investigations and obtaining a warrant. This was the case recently when a registered sex offender moved from the Houston Police Department’s jurisdiction into San Diego County, CA. Although the offender did report to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston PD was unaware the offender had left.Since both agencies use OffenderWatch, Houston PD received a notification when San Diego County Sheriff’s Office updated the offender’s record in the OffenderWatch system, noting of the movement. By receiving this instant alert, Houston could confirm one of their offenders was compliant and now living in California, instead of opening an investigation for an absconded offender.As Houston PD employee Eva Vawters says, “Getting that [OffenderWatch] system message saved me from needing to chase [the offender] down.”Saving time, money, and precious investigative resources, OffenderWatch helps law enforcement agencies big and small better manage their offenders and easily collaborate with other agencies.Learn more about joining the OffenderWatch Network.

When Officer Slade Bailey of the Salt Lake City Police Department began to register a sex offender who had moved into his jurisdiction, he discovered the offender had previously been registered in several other states that also use the OffenderWatch network of registries. The offender also claimed to have resided in Louisiana for five years, but there was no record in the name he provided. Officer Bailey made a quick call to Scott Freeman at OffenderWatch because he knew Scott was also an active duty Deputy in Louisiana.Deputy Freeman, who is also a territory manager with OffenderWatch, was not able to find any records of the offender living in Louisiana in the names provided. Deputy Freeman then contacted Assistant Attorney General Erica McLellan with the Louisiana Attorney General’s office to assist. McLellan provided more information on the offender, including the legal name, and an outstanding arrest warrant in Louisiana. Deputy Freeman was able to find the record in OffenderWatch and right-click on it to share it with Officer Bailey via secure system message.Based on the new information provided in the Louisiana offender record, Officer Bailey discovered several additional Adam Walsh Act violations and is preparing a Federal case to present to the US Marshals.Thanks to the collaboration of Deputy Freeman, Assistant AG McLellan, and Officer Blade, the Salt Lake City PD was able to stop a violating offender.

Here is how to better prepare your sex offender registry for when disaster hits your community.

Our law enforcement partners have taught us plenty about responding to disasters and monitoring registered sex offenders during a disruptive event. From their experience, we have crafted a checklist to help registering agencies prepare for monitoring sex offenders who may become displaced during a disaster. Make sure the registry is part of your agency disaster plan.

Download the SOR Disaster Prep Checklist 

We are proud to partner with the professionals who work tirelessly to protect the public through wildfires, floods, tornados, riots, pandemics, and hurricanes. We are proud to share some of their stories:

Wildfire - Butte County Sheriff’s Office in Oroville, CA, found being prepared extremely useful during the tragic Camp Fire wildfire

Riots - How Baltimore PD Ran a Mobile Field Registry During the 2015 Riots.  

Pandemic - St. Johns County, FL Uses OffenderWatch Mobile to Verify Addresses During Pandemic

BPD used a registry go-box and a cell phone to monitor registered sex offenders during crises

In April of 2015, the Baltimore Police Department faced repeated protests over the case of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody. Residents of Baltimore protested in front of Police Headquarters and City Hall. The BPD is the 8th largest municipal police force in the United States. Their response was measured but all available officers were involved, including sworn registry staff.The BPD monitors over 1500 active registered sex offenders. Registered offenders were calling the registry saying they were hesitant to come near the department’s registry lobby entrance for their required reregistration because several streets nearby were involved in protests for weeks. Detective Sergeant Adam Kirhagis who supervised the BPD Sex Offender Registry Unit Most sworn registry staff were deployed outside of the department in support of police lines. “Most of these offenders want to do the right thing and get in to reregister and get out, “said Kirhagis. “We called offenders who were up for reregistration and gave them an address where it was safe for us to meet. I had my laptop with internet access through my cell phone and set up shop on the back of a squad car.” Kirhagis kept a “go-box” with about 50 copies of BPD registration, duty to register, and change of address forms and a stack of index cards. “When an offender came to my new field registry,” Kirhagis explained, “I would write his name and reg. number on an index card and hand it to him. I took his picture with the OffenderWatch Mobile App, so it was in the record and it was also stored on the phone with his name and identifier right in the photo.” During this period of civil unrest, there was no increase in noncompliant offenders. Kirhagis was instrumental in helping to develop guidelines for other agencies.

Download the SOR Disaster Prep Checklist. 

In 2019, Detective Sergeant Adam Kirhagis retired from BPD and joined OffenderWatch. While at the Baltimore Police Department, Kirhagis supervised the Sex Offender Registry Unit registering, managing, and tracking Baltimore's 1500+ registered sex offenders. He supervised a team of 6 detectives investigating crimes against children while managing a multi-disciplinary approach from complaint to prosecution. As a Territory Manager at OffenderWatch, he can leverage his 29 years of law enforcement experience to help registering agencies develop best practices in sex offender management, collaborative investigations, and public notification.

The Highlands County Sheriff’s Officein Sebring, FL, and the United States Marshals Service, in conjunction with the Highlands Probation Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, conducted Operation Disconnect, which led to 37 arrests across Highlands County, FL. Of those arrested, 26 were registered sex offenders who were either banned from having internet access at all or who failed to report their internet usage to the sheriff's office, as part of their probation. Each failure to report is a felony offense.The investigation also revealed several subjects with active warrants in Special Victims Unit cases. Highland County Sheriff’s Office launched the operation to confirm sex offenders had reported their email addresses and social media identifiers as required by Floridalaw.Highland Countywill be offering the much anticipated OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood app to help parents concerned about their children being contacted by sex offenders online. Knowing theoffender’sinternet identifiers, together withtheOffenderWatchapp, parentscanbe alerted when their children are contacted by offenders.

Is Your Child at Risk Online?  5 Questions for Parents 

Prior tothe operation, the sheriff’s officerequested assistance fromOffenderWatchto obtain a list of offenders who moved into theirjurisdictionfrom out of state over a two-year period.Using that list, the Sheriff’s office was able to confirm that those relocating offenders were properly registered and arrested two offenders who were non-compliant.In August 2020, thejoint agencies received subpoenas to allow a full searchoftheoffenders’ person,placeand property,including electronic devices.In preparing for the operation,thesheriff’s office usedOffenderWatchtosearch for allsexoffenders on probation, collectingtheir reported email,phone,and social media information, along withhome, school and workaddressesand other information.“If I had to compile this information on my own, it would have tripled my time,” said Sgt.Steven Ritenour with the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit.Investigatorsused thisinfo(privacy data was removed)to provide alistof offenderinternetidentifiersand phone numbersas part of subpoenasto several social media (i.e. Snapchat, Google, Facebook and Twitter) and phoneproviders.Subscriber informationfrom these subpoenaswas cross-checked against the informationprovided by the offender in the OffenderWatch system and discrepancies noted. The tactical teams executed search warrants andarrested 37 people for over 100 violations and charges.During the operation,electronic devices such as phones, computers and gaming devices were examined for unregistered accounts,which is a violation of the terms of their probation.As a result of the publicityreceived from theoperation,several offenders have come into the office to update their information or turned themselves in.Thesheriff's officehas also received more community tips throughOffenderWatch,andthey expect more arrests to follow.“OffenderWatchwas key. If not for it, I probablywouldn’thave done this operation,” said Sgt.Ritenour.Theoperation was a huge success.Highlands County Sheriff’s Officewasable to effectively track offender movements across jurisdictions, accessoffender recordsvery quickly,produceinformationneeded toobtainwarrants andsubpoenas,conductjointoperations, andeasilyshare informationwithpartner agencies.OffenderWatchsaved many hours byallowingthem to searchfor offenders nationally,reportand export dataon offenders, centralize the collection of investigativefindings,share records with other agencies, and the US Marshals. The net result led to multiple arrests.By enforcing the Floridastatutesrequiring the reporting ofphone numbers, email addresses and social media internet identifiers,Highland County Sheriff’s Office can offer an effectivechild online safety program using theOffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood App.Contact usto learn more.References:Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, in-person interviewwithSgt. Steven Ritenour.Usmarshals.gov. 2020. U.S. Marshals, Law Enforcement Partners Conduct Sex Offender Operation In Southern Florida. Available at: https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2020/082520.htm.FOX 35 Orlando. 2020. More Than Two Dozen Registered Sex Offenders Arrested For Improper Online Activity In Highlands County. Available at: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/more-than-two-dozen-registered-sex-offenders-arrested-for-improper-online-activity-in-highlands-county.

Leanna Ristow and Amy Heetland, both support specialists for Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, Washington, work together to maximize the full gamut of automated capabilities of OffenderWatch’s online sex offender registry software. They routinely gather all the data required by state and federal statutes, then pack the record with information useful to investigators. They collect the offenders’ home, work and school addresses, address verification history, vehicles, case and registration forms, mug shot photos, photos of scars, marks and tattoos, and internet identifiers. Recently, they were able to provide over 12 years of information on two different sex offenders who failed to re-register as a part of their court mandate within the past year.In both cases, these Level III sex offenders failed to check-in with their local police department as required by state sex offender statutes. Due to their history and the nature of their convictions, both offenders are considered a potential threat to their surrounding communities.Because registering agencies can share records through OffenderWatch, agencies save a significant amount of time on research and data entry. Grays Harbor County had immediate access to the offender’s comprehensive record including information from previous agencies where the offender was registered. With this information, they ensure that offenders remained compliant, or in this case, they can easily begin an investigation to obtain a warrant for non-compliance.

According to Ristow, “OffenderWatch is a great database for managing and keeping track of our offenders. I couldn’t do without it.” The program “has allowed us to go completely paperless” in their efforts to find missing offenders.

To learn more information about the OffenderWatch Network, contact OffenderWatch.

When a sex offender made plans to relocate from Jacksonville County, Florida, to Dougherty County, Georgia, Sgt. Kerce in Dougherty County received an instant notification from OffenderWatch to be on the lookout for the offender. When the offender reported to the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, instead of creating a new offender record from scratch, Sgt. Kerce conducted a national search for the offender using OffenderWatch’s national network. He found files for the offender from three separate agencies who had previously managed the offender. Sgt. Kerce copied and merged the files to create a single packed offender record full of historical data and investigative notes dating back to 2008.Without OffenderWatch, agencies who register relocating offenders must contact all the previous registries and ask for copies of documents, photos, and records by email or fax.

“I would have had to wait possibly weeks to receive the records and info from other agencies,” said Sgt. Kerce.“Instead, with OffenderWatch, everything was instant.”

Plus, many agencies charge to copy and send offender records—costing vital agency dollars.Dougherty County SO also uses OffenderWatch to automatically update a scrolling report displayed on public lobby monitors. The report is updated as soon as the offender record is created/updated and displayed on a monitor/screen in public lobbies. Before OffenderWatch, Sgt. Kerce no longer had to print copies of offender reports and drive to other locations in the county, to place in a binder or on a board with the updated offender information.“I’d love to see the state using OffenderWatch as the repository for all sex offender records in the state of Georgia,” Sgt. Kerce said.Learn more about saving time and agency budget using cumulative electronic records throughout the OffenderWatch network.

OffenderWatch tracked more than 20,000 relocations last year of registered sex offenders as they change addresses across jurisdictions. Tracking homeless offenders is particularly challenging for law enforcement charged with verifying each sex offender’s address. This spring, a homeless sex offender registered in Oklahoma City, OK, informed Oklahoma City PD of his intention to move to Elko County, NV but provided no new address. Oklahoma PD also made notes of the offender’s plan to receive a motorhome from his brother upon arriving. The offender subsequently purchased a bus ticket to Nevada but did not immediately check in with the Sheriff’s office upon arrival.The OffenderWatch Territory Manager working with both Oklahoma and Nevada registering agencies noticed the Oklahoma PD notes. Heather Carter, the registrar at Elko County Sheriff’s Office, sent patrol and detectives to look for the offender based on information provided in the record by Oklahoma PD. The investigative team found the homeless offender and registered him as required by statute.By obtaining the offender’s record through the OffenderWatch Network, Elko County found investigative notes in the record to assist them in locating the offender in their community. They also had less data entry to do and now retain the cumulative offender record from Oklahoma. Elko County now easily knows the original offender conviction information without spending hours on the phone with the out of state agency and out of state courthouse.Registrar Carter said, “This is so cool that we can gather information from other states.”Contact us to learn more about OffenderWatch today.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (WDCI) is the statewide body that oversees more than 2,000 registered sex offenders in the state. Per federal law, every state must report their registered sex offenders to the national sex offender registry (NSOR) through the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC). “States are required to upload complete sex offender records within 72 hours, and those sex offender records get audited by the FBI every three years,” said Jeff Matthews, former CJIS Systems Officer for the state of Alabama, and NCIC consultant at OffenderWatch. “Having up-to-date records packed with information is important because NCIC is used by all U.S. law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations,” Matthews said. In fact, states using OffenderWatch NCIC Sync are above 95% acceptance rates—well above the national average.

Wyoming’s Old Way: Hours of Collecting, Checking and Double Entry of Data

For states without OffenderWatch, entering sex offender records into a database and updating them again into NCIC is a tedious, labor-intensive, manual process. Prior to joining the OffenderWatch Network, WDCI would spend hundreds of hours and multiple state agency team members’ time manually keying in sex offender data to the FBI system using a special NCIC terminal. “[The old way] took forever. Our workers were always backlogged on it,” said Jenny Stalo, records analyst with WDCI who now oversees the state’s registry. Local agencies also had different ways of reporting their registry data to the state: Some emailed data, while others scanned, printed, and mailed it. The process of collecting offender data and getting it entered into NCIC was an inefficient mess.

The Old Way: More Hours Manually Validating Aged Records

“If a sex offender’s record is not updated every 12 months, it’s like the record has gone stale and the FBI requires the record to be manually validated again,” said Matthews. This is a laborious process of checking the original sources and updating information in the NCIC terminal. A validation can take two hours per record, and the state of Wyoming was doing hundreds of NCIC validations each year. Larger states can spend countless hours just updating and validating NCIC records.

Joining OffenderWatch: A Statewide Collaborative Solution

In 2014, the state of Wyoming joined the OffenderWatch Network and included OffenderWatch NCIC Sync. WDCI provided the OffenderWatch registry software to all registering agencies in the state. Now each county follows the same process of registering and tracking their sex offenders and has a local community awareness program. The offenders are required to check in with the local registry annually, and the agencies also verify the offender’s address. All of this activity is logged in OffenderWatch.Every time any local registry adds or edits an OffenderWatch record in Wyoming, the WDCI registry and website is automatically updated, and that record is then synced to the FBI through OffenderWatch NCIC Sync. OffenderWatch NCIC Sync automatically syncs data easily and accurately, saving time and streamlining work.

WDCI Today: Timely, Accurate, and Packed Records

“When an agency outside of the OffenderWatch Network uses a terminal to type in a record and submits it to NCIC, the record gets rejected about 40% of the time,” Matthews said. “It’s hard to manually type all those descriptions and VIN numbers in the right format without a typo.”“Without OffenderWatch, our jobs would be much more difficult, and it would be easier to make errors,” Stalo said. “But OffenderWatch makes it very easy to update offender data just one time—saving time and ensuring the data is accurate.”Jenny Stalo is a national leader in using OffenderWatch to sync data to NCIC. Through her work, Wyoming has saved hundreds of hours of employee time. Stalo has optimized her work using OffenderWatch to improve accuracy and reporting the state sex offender data in a timely manner. Under Jenny Stalo’s leadership, NCIC has approved nearly all WDCI’s data without any data rejections—a feat not met by most states.“I’ve observed rejection rates as high as 60% at states updating NCIC manually. And they are usually just adding the minimal amount of data. Those states using OffenderWatch NCIC Sync are above 95% acceptance and they pack the records,” said Matthews, “and Jenny is over 98%. She’s a rock star.”Local agencies work closely with WDCI to ensure data is updated seamlessly.

Dramatically Cuts Time Performing Validations

OffenderWatch has dramatically reduced the time spent doing manual NCIC validations. All offenders must check in at least annually, those convicted of most serious crimes must check in every three months. The local registries schedule checks and update their records using OffenderWatch. “With each check, the record is updated at NCIC automatically, so the record never gets stale,” Matthews said.With OffenderWatch, Wyoming has seen the number of offender records that must be validated reduced by half each month, again saving significant employee time. “The only validations we seem to get now are from registered offenders who have left Wyoming and went to another state that does not keep up with NCIC, or the offender is not required to register in that state,” said Stalo.

Simplified FBI Audits

Twelve states use OffenderWatch NCIC Sync to pack the records at NCIC, keep them up to date, and enjoy efficiencies in use of manpower. “Every three years an FBI auditor comes out to review the process of how the offender data originates, gets entered and updated to NCIC. They check that the record is complete, accurate, and submitted in a timely fashion,” said Matthews. “With OffenderWatch NCIC Sync, states can be assured the record is not only complete, but also packed with critical information, and it gets to NCIC almost immediately.”OffenderWatch connects registering agencies to the largest network of sex offender data in the country. The system can sync records in real time with NCIC, Exchange Portal, NSOPW, the US Marshals Service, as well other state systems. For her incredible work with NCIC, Stalo received a National Certificate of Merit from OffenderWatch in spring 2020. As a member of the OffenderWatch Customer Advisory Board, Stalo has been instrumental in enhancing and testing improvements in NCIC automation that benefit all 12 states using OffenderWatch NCIC Sync. Jenny Stalo received national recognition for her role in managing data on the states 2,100 registered active sex offenders.OffenderWatch connects your agency to the largest network of sex offender data in the country. The system syncs in real time with NCIC, Exchange Portal, NSOPW, the US Marshals Service, as well as many other state systems, saving significant time and reducing errors.

Citizens are encouraged to submit tips about registered sex offenders through their local law enforcement or state sex offender registry website. OffenderWatch hosts public portals for law enforcement that make it easy for citizens to search for sex offenders in their neighborhood, register for email alerts should an offender move into their neighborhood, and submit tips about sex offenders. Tips from citizens often help law enforcement investigate and ensure that registered sex offenders remain compliant with their terms of registration.In early July 2020, a Utah citizen filed an anonymous tip through the Utah Dept of Corrections Sex and Kidnap Offender Notification and Registration (SONAR) website hosted by OffenderWatch. The tip was that a registered sex offender was on a social media app used by children and was following underage girls. Because the offender was registered in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Salt Lake City Police Department was automatically alerted of the tip through the OffenderWatch Network. The original tip and subsequent investigator’s notes are available in the offender record within OffenderWatch to support the ongoing investigation, interagency operations, obtaining a warrant, or involvement of the US Marshals.As a best practice, Salt Lake City PD routinely and immediately assigns all tips on sex offenders for investigation and shares that information through OffenderWatch to the Parole Officer (if assigned), the Sheriff’s Office and other participating local PD. As a result, they have great success in making timely arrests from the tips received.After following up on the tip, the Salt Lake City PD arrested the offender less than two weeks later—and the offender is currently in jail.

“I wish all agencies took [tips] more seriously and captured all of the details in the investigative notes. This is very important for investigative purposes,” said Det. Slade Bailey, OIC, Special Victims Unit, Salt Lake City PD. “We’ve had lots of success from [OffenderWatch] tips received this year.”

According to Det. Bailey, OffenderWatch allows his office to review historical information and gain some perspective of the offenders who may be coming into their area. As for the tips, OffenderWatch offers a consistent and organized way to capture and track tips received and all follow-up actions. Additionally, OffenderWatch allows agencies to quickly share information to aid in any investigative effort. When agencies follow up on tips quickly, arrests can often be made much faster, he said.

=One benefit of being in theOffenderWatch Network is automatically receiving notifications when offenders move in or out of your jurisdiction. However, oftentimes agencies that are not using OffenderWatch do not know when offenders move into their jurisdiction—and thus sex offenders can fly “under-the-radar" for a period of time until communication catches up. This would have been the case in Bentonville, Arkansas, if not for OffenderWatch. A sex offender notified his previous registering agency in Illinois of his intent to move to Bentonville. However, since the Bentonville Police Department wasn’t using OffenderWatch, they did not receive an instant notification about the offender headed their way. The offender had moved to Bentonville and was there for several days, without being registered with the police departments is required by state statutes. The OffenderWatch team noticed the offender movement and contacted Bentonville PD to ensure they knew an offender had moved into the jurisdiction. From there, an investigation was initiated, OffenderWatch data was provided, a warrant was obtained, and the offender was arrested for failure to register and jailed. Learn how registering agencies join the OffenderWatch Network to receive timely notifications about offender movements ,ensure accountability and compliance across jurisdictions, share offender records, and collaborate on interagency investigations.

While most locallaw enforcement agencies operate withinasinglejurisdiction,someoperate under much more complexarrangements. This can often create problems for agenciesmanaging registered sex offenders inoverlappingjurisdictions. ConsidertheTown ofQueen CreekArizona. Currently, Queen Creek is in the process of establishing its police department.Whilethe town of Queen Creekrests within Pima County, Arizona,the town has contracted withMaricopa County law enforcement in its stead. When an offender moves into a new county, they must immediately register with the receiving county’s law enforcement according to the terms of their sentencing. Although it is a straightforward process, this can be complicated when jurisdictions intersect, making it harder for both law enforcement and offenders to fulfill their legal obligations.Thankfully, both Maricopa and Pima Counties are partneredwithOffenderWatch. When an offender moved to Queen Creekearlierthis year,he had toreport toMaricopatobe registered withPima.But bothPima and Maricopa were able to instantly communicate with each other toensurethe appropriate registration.“The system messages keep me informed when [the offender] has complied with Maricopa County as required,” says Detective Amy Blackwell from Pima County Sheriff’s Office.OffenderWatchallows partnered agencies to maintain an extensive historical file on each registered offender, which can be updated,accessed, and discussed in real-time.Arizona is one of 21 statewideimplementationsofOffenderWatchthatenablescollaboration between agenciesandtrackingand sharing of recordsbetweenjurisdictions.Contact OffenderWatchto learn more abouthow agencies across the country are saving time and resources with the OffenderWatch Network.

On Thursday, July 11, authorities from Shawnee County,Kansas,conducted ahistoricsweep, resulting in the arrests ofeightoffenders, most of whomwere non-compliant with court-ordered requirements.With the help ofOffenderWatch’snationalnetworkof sex offender managementtools, over 50 law enforcement, parole and probation officers worked together toresearch over 200 registered sex offenders in Kansas. The operation was to check compliance with the Kansas Offender Registration Act identified and arrest violators of that act,ensureoffenders were complying with requirements of parole or probation, and arrest people wanted on outstanding warrants.Shawnee County Sheriff Brian C. Hill’s office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service co-directed the operation, and the multi-agency sweep involvedthe Topeka Police Department, Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, Kansas Department of Corrections, Shawnee County Department of Corrections, U.S. Probation Office and 3rdJudicial District Court Services.Together they performed 233 compliance checks which resulted in eight arrests, six of whomwere registered sex offenders.During the sweep, they also removed three children in need of care from a household and gathered information that resulted in the sheriff’s office’s opening up three new investigations into offender registration violation cases.  SergeantAaron Riveraof Shawnee Countywho oversees the Sex Offender Registry unit said that OffenderWatch’s “search and export feature was very useful and saved us a bunch of time. It allowed us to share information amongst the various agencies.” Withoneclick, an offender record can be shared with the United States Marshals Servicefor immediate help in locating absconded offenders, Adam Walsh Act violation arrests, or performing compliance and enforcement operations.The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office had immediate access to the offenders’ comprehensive records and any previous agencies where the offender was registered. Without OffenderWatch, the combined agencies would have had to spend time contacting the registering agencies where the offenders previously lived, waiting on records and information to bemailed or faxed—a process that often results in days or weeks of time lost.Shawnee County immediately accessedand sharedthe offenders’ extensive historical records with their partnered agencies, saving significanttime. Thanks to the robust record system, the agencies already have the offenders’addresses, phone numbers and original conviction information documentedin an easy to read format.“Offender registration forms were very organized and easy to follow,” says Rivera. “Everyone, including those who had never seen them before, could easily follow and find out what they’re looking for.”With this information, they can ensure the offender remains compliant, or in the case of Shawnee County,beginthe processto obtain a warrant for non-compliancewith ease.Learn more about how OffenderWatch can help streamline your agency's offender registry.

In the past,deputies withthe PauldingCountyOhioSheriff’s Office walked neighborhoods, passing out flyers about registered sex offenders who had moved into the neighborhood. PCSO met itsstatutory requirement for community notificationsbut the task wasexpensive,time-consuming, and the process exposed the deputies to undue risk. However,amidthe globalCovid-19pandemic, PCSO was looking for a safer and healthier solution tothe deputieswalking the county door-to-door. PCSO turned to OffenderWatch, the nation’s leader in sex offender management, to provide a cost-effective, safe alternative to passing out flyers so theycouldadhere to social distancing guidelines.OffenderWatch’s Postcard Community Notificationprogram is a cost-effective solution for law enforcement agencies looking to update the community when a sex offender moves into a new neighborhood.For the cost of a first-class stamp,a registering agency can click to order, thenOffenderWatchwill print and mail postcardswithin 72 hoursand provide a delivery log to the agency.About 3 millionsex offender notificationpostcards were sent by OffenderWatchagencieslast year.Plus,OffenderWatchagencies automaticallysentover 17 millionemail updates to the community when registered offenders move into their neighborhood.“It’s not a good idea for deputies to be going door-to-door during this time of social distancing,” said Sheriff Landers.“OffenderWatch’semail, website, and postcardnotification optionsare a safer, faster, and cost-effective means of notifying the public ofregisteredsex offendermovements.”

Without being connected to a national network of sex offender registries,somelaw enforcement agencieswho register sex offendersmay not be aware of registered offenders moving into their jurisdiction. However,OffenderWatchautomatesrelocationnotificationsand record sharingfor partners in its network—saving time and potentially saving future victims.This summer,whenaregisteredsex offender failed to appear for his 90-day check-inwithBernalilloSheriff’s Office,New Mexico, theinvestigatorturned to OffenderWatch.After pulling up the offender’s profile in OffenderWatch’srecords, the investigatorcalledthe offender and learned he had moved to Houston, Texaswithoutinformingeitherregisteringlaw enforcement agency. When theBernalilloinvestigator updated the offender’s address to Houston, OffenderWatchimmediatelyalertedthe Houston Police Department that the offender had moved to their jurisdiction.Without the relocation notification, the offender could have remained non-compliantand risk the safety of the Houston community.Houston PD had immediate access to theoffender’scomprehensive recordfrom Bernalilloand any previousagencies where the offender was registered.Without OffenderWatch, Houston PD would have had to spend time contacting the registering agency where the offender previously lived, waiting on his records and information to be mailed, faxed or sent—which can sometimes take weeks and cost money. Houston PDimmediatelyaccessedthe offender’s extensive historical record, saving significant data entry time. The departmentalready knowsthe offender’saddress, phone numbers andoriginal conviction information without spending hours on the phone with the out-of-state agency and out-of-state courthouse.With this informationHouston PD can ensure the offender remains compliant orbegin an investigationto obtain a warrantfor non-compliance.TheOffenderWatchNetworkhelps registering agenciessave time and money—by sendingautomaticrelocationalertsand sharing recordswhen offenders movebetweenjurisdictionsandtimeisof the essence.

What happens when a registered sex offender moves severaltimes in a year? Many agencies find it difficult to keep track of offenders moving in and out of their jurisdiction numerous times, especially when information about the offender is delayed from the previous agency. Over the years, aregistered offenderfrom Whatcom County, Washington,moved multiple times withincounty lines.Recently, the offenderleft the state and moved to the jurisdiction ofanother OffenderWatchNetwork agency inPayette County, Idaho.Since bothcounty’s law enforcementagencies are fully integrated in our extensive network, they easily shared theirdata fileson the offenderand notified the receiving county of the move toprevent the offenderfromslipping through the cracks.Upon each relocation,OffenderWatch-partnered agenciescaninstantly import anoffender’scomprehensivefilethatincludes the subject’s historical information, relevant photographs, importantdocuments,and investigative notesrelating to their conviction. By using thisnetwork of registries,theoffender’srecord follows theoffender, andboth agencies save a significant amount of timeand effortpotentially wasted on duplicated research and tracking.Whenever a registered offender moves to a new area, partnered agencies who utilizeOffenderWatch’sdatabase can instantly access the necessary files to prevent an offender from eluding hisor herstatutory requirementsand to keep their communities safe.

This past spring, Snohomish County, Washingtonlaw enforcementplacedan officer alert on a registeredLevel III sex offender withintheir OffenderWatchregistry.Offenders with this level of designation requireadditional monitoring due to the high risk of re-offending.According to police records,theLevel III offender was previously convicted in 1990 of two counts of attempting to molest a minor in Snohomish Countyand hassince been convicted six times for methamphetamine possession,indecent exposure, and a failure to re-register as a sex offender.OffenderWatchOffice alerts are a warning to partnered agencies that the offender in question is potentially unstable or dangerous and to use caution when engaging with them.King County is just south of Snohomish and has a population of over 2.2 million residents in and around Seattle.As a collaborating agency in the Offender Watch Network, King County observed theofficeralerton theoffender’s file.King County registrarsthenspreadthe word within their agencytobe aware of this offenderin the county next door.Through theOffenderWatchnetwork,agenciescanseamlesslycollaborateto protect theirstaff and the publicfrompotential threats.In addition to officer alerts, the network enables agencies to save countless hours as they track offender relocation, transfer records electronically, and collaborate on investigations and community safety programs.

This spring, a registered sex offender moved from Wayne County, Michigan, which is part of the OffenderWatch Network, to Manatee County, Florida, which has about 500,000 citizens. However, after alerting the Michigan agency that he was moving, the offender had not shown up at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office six weeks later. MCSO launched an investigation to locate the offender.OffenderWatch staff observed the relocation to an agency outside of the network and reached out to MCSO to offer contact information, images, and investigative notes about the offender—information that would automatically be sent through OffenderWatch Network. The detective used the information found in the OffenderWatch record in the investigation of the offender.OffenderWatch helps agencies streamline processes and easily collaborate on a single offender record that follows the offender as he relocates, saving time and saving lives.

Encompassing the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater metro areas, Pinellas County, Florida, is a major metropolitan area with a population of 1 million residents. Although OffenderWatch--the nation's leading sex offender management tool--is widely used in other Florida jurisdictions, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office uses a stand-alone system (outside of the OffenderWatch network) to monitor and track their sex offenders.Recently, while monitoring offenders who were moving from one address to another, OffenderWatch noted two sex offenders who were intending to relocate to the Pinellas County jurisdiction: one registered sex offender from Volusia County, Florida, and a second from Fulton County, Georgia.OffenderWatch Helps Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Find Missing OffendersWithin the OffenderWatch network, when an offender reports intent to relocate to another agency in the network, the new receiving agency is automatically alerted, and the full historical offender record is shared with the receiving agency. PCSO was not integrated to the OffenderWatch network, so they did not instantly receive information about these two new offenders moving to the county. As a courtesy, OffenderWatch personnel contacted PCSO to alert them of the reported moves. PCSO found that the offender from Georgia never reported to the PCSO office as required by statute. OffenderWatch personnel subsequently assisted PCSO in manually accessing information from the OffenderWatch historical record (including physical attributes, historical addresses, associates, investigative notes, etc.) on the Georgia offender to facilitate an absconded offender investigation and warrant.OffenderWatch partner agencies have full integration to our extensive network, and this case illustrates the value and efficiencies of that cooperation. Partnering with OffenderWatch and our seamless data-sharing platform prevents sex offenders from “slipping through the cracks” when moving across jurisdictions. If OffenderWatch personnel had not reached out to PCSO in this case, the sex offender may have been successful in eluding his statutory requirements.