Sex Offender Databases

Note: This section is divided into two (2) parts. The second page lists the links (updated: 11/15/2007) for online sex offender databases for each state. If you find a broken link, please send an email to conniebr@conniebrz.com.

Please remember~!The vast majority of sexual predators and pedophiles are NEVER CAUGHT. You cannot rely on databases alone. Please educate your staff and volunteers on the signs of predatory behavior and institute policies designed to protect the vulnerable.

Congress enacted three statutes in 1994 requiring states to establish or strengthen existing programs tracking sexual offenders. The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act requires the registration of sex offenders, alerting law enforcement to their presence in the community. Megan’s Law and the Pam Lynchner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act require states to implement programs which notify the public when sex offenders are released into the community. To comply with these notification mandates, many states turned to the internet. For states without internet databases, your local police department is the best source for information and instructions.

Procedure

Review the completed background check forms and note all states of former residence. Although your home state may not have an online registry, chances are good that other states you need to check will. Search criteria for each website is different. Most allow searching by zip code, county, city, first name, last name, middle initial, date of birth, and gender. It’s not necessary to submit all information for a thorough search. In fact, too much information can narrow your results. If your applicant gave a faulty date of birth or a different first name, results could be incorrect. It’s better to run several smaller searches with various inputs. For example:

John K. Smith, male, Harris County, TX

First Search:

            J Smith

From this, you’ll likely get a number of ‘hits’ ranging from James Smith to Jonathon Smithy. Information for each individual may include aliases, addresses, photos, or even maps to their residence. By studying this list, you can check for your applicant’s name.

Second Search:

            Zip Code- 77576

You will get a frighteningly long list of offenders with this search. Again, by scanning and cross checking, you can thoroughly search the available information. Four or more searches per database for each applicant is reasonable. On Form E, note the number of searches run and the criteria used.

Next: Sex Offender Databases: Part 2: Links

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