CATCHING A PREDATOR
How to find a sex offender in your area?
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REGISTERED sex offenders have been allowed to walk free due to coronavirus concerns - a major cause of worry among parents and the American public.
, , and are among the states that have either or for sex offenders, meaning there is a slim chance you could be living beside a predator.
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Here is how you can locate a registered sex offender in your area.
Search the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry Website
Visiting the , which is run by the Department of Justice, is the first step to identifying known sex offenders in your community.
You can look up their locations in all 50 states and in US territories like Puerto Rico or Guam, as well as numerous Native American tribes.
"The NSOPW is a public safety resource that provides the public with access to sex offender data nationwide," Face 2 Face CEO Margaret Arsenault explained to .
"NSOPW’s search tool provides information about sex offenders through a number of search options, including searching by name, address, by zip code, by county, and city or town."
She added: "Each of these options is dependent upon the jurisdiction in question providing the information in its own publicly accessible database."
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Use the free Family Watch Dog tool
Parents especially will find to be especially helpful, as the website boasts a 97.5 percent accuracy rate in locating registered offenders.
Type your zip code into search tool and you'll be able to see a map of offenders in your neighborhood.
Family Watchdog also offers free notifications that help keep your updated on which offenders move in and out of your area.
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Check state registries
Every state maintains its own registry that requires law enforcement authorities to make information regarding registered sex offenders public.
You can find a list of individual state registries on the or through your county's local sheriff's office or police department.
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Try a reverse lookup
Some sex offenders regularly decide to not register, which can pose a challenge to anyone trying to find them.
Have an idea of what you're searching for - knowing the person's name, age, sex, and race will make the search easier.
To do this, start by going to a public search website like , a top site for online background checks and contact info.
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Check your local newspaper
Local news outlets like and often provide safety maps for communities around the country during Halloween.
The maps take into consideration sex offenders' locations.
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