STATE’S SEX OFFENDER WEBSITE OFFERS NEW FEATURES

21 Jun STATE’S SEX OFFENDER WEBSITE OFFERS NEW FEATURES

June 21, 2022

Media contact: Liz Brocker (701) 328-2213

BISMARCK, ND – Updates to the state’s sex offender website will make it easier to find detailed information about registered sex offenders. The website, sexoffender.nd.gov, rolled out the new features today, said Attorney General Drew Wrigley.

“Among the feedback we received from stakeholders was that the old site was difficult to search for information about some offenders, particularly those whose risk level had not yet been assigned. In addition, many of the public safety features were only available for high-risk offenders and those required to register for life,” said Attorney General Wrigley. “The updated website makes it easy to search for and find detailed information about every offender, regardless of their risk level.”

Among the improvements:

• Photos of all offenders will now be available for the public, regardless of the offender’s assigned risk level. Until now, photos were only available for high risk or lifetime offenders.
• The search results for an offender include a google map showing the location of the offender’s home address, with an additional search function for the location of the offender’s employer.
• The search function has been enhanced to search for an offender by name, geographical radius or city/county, regardless of risk level. Previously, the search result for information about low or moderate risk offenders was in the form of a pdf document listing all offenders, and the search by name function was only for high risk or lifetime offenders.
• Concerned residents can sign up to receive notifications about any offender, including those without a risk level yet assigned.
• Plain language descriptions of each crime will be available in the detailed information for every offender with an assigned risk level, regardless of the jurisdiction/state in which the crime occurred. This information was previously only available for high-risk offenders.

“The short synopsis of the crime will help the public to gauge their own level of concern about each offender, whether they be classified as a high risk, moderate risk or low risk offender,” said Wrigley.

The updated website consolidates information about offender registration requirements, the Sex Offender Risk Assessment process, and information for registering law enforcement agencies into a single location.

As of June 17, 2022, there are 1,613 sex offenders with a requirement to register in North Dakota.

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