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STATE OF CONNECTICUT Department of Public Safety 1111 Country Club Road Middletown, Connecticut 06457 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 28, 2009 |
CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE LAUNCH UPGRADES TO
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY SYSTEM
Web-based tool allows public to search and register for notifications
The Connecticut State Police today announced plans for an enhanced Sex Offender Registry System that will help police better monitor the state’s sex offender population and allow residents to track registered sex offenders in their area.
The Connecticut State Police will implement and manage the interactive registration management application for law enforcement and the public web portal, Governor M. Jodi Rell announced at a press conference today.
Federal statutes require states to maintain a central registry of sex offenders and to facilitate public access to the registry. The Sex Offender Registry System will help Connecticut’s law enforcement agencies to stay in compliance with these laws while also streamlining the sex offender program.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe, especially our youngest and most vulnerable. We have an obligation to keep our children free from danger each and every day,” said Gov. Rell. “The Sex Offender Registry is an important resource that families can use to protect their children near their homes, their schools and their playgrounds.”
John A. Danaher III, Commissioner of the State Department of Public Safety, added, “While protecting the public and solving crimes, the men and women of the State Police use effective law enforcement tools. The enhanced sex offender registry provides our Troopers and the public with another weapon to protect our children and our neighborhoods.”
The Web-based management tool collects all data required by the National Sex Offender Registry and makes it available to all state agencies responsible for the registration of sex offenders. By using this application to track sex offenders, there will be little to no delay in new or updated information for both the public and law enforcement for registration.
For public access to the system, users will be able to log on to a community web portal to search for specific offenders, register to be notified by e-mail when an offender moves into their area, and use a mapping tool to view offenders residing within a specified radius of a given address.
Users can enter addresses for specific locations – such as a home, school, child care center, or park – to search for offenders living nearby and receive notifications when a sex offender moves into the area. The registry’s mapping feature will provide a geographic risk assessment, which gives a visual representation of an offender’s location on a map.
Notifications will be sent within 24 hours of an address change to the state’s registry. Use of the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry System is free and confidential.
Connecticut residents can access the upgraded Sex Offender Registry at www.ct.gov/dps and click on the “sex offender registry” link on the left-hand tool bar.
The Connecticut Department of Public Safety selected Apprissâ Inc. and Watch Systems to implement the state’s Sex Offender Registry System. The two companies partner to offer a comprehensive suite of sex offender solutions that have been successfully executed in 11 states as well as more than 400 local agencies covering approximately 30 states.
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