The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office is now using they OffenderWatch system to track and manage the more than 200 sex and violent offenders who live and work in LaPorte County.
Sheriff’s offices throughout Indiana are transitioning to the system. OffenderWatch is replacing the Indiana Sheriffs’ Sex and Violent Offender Registry. OffenderWatch will allow citizens to enter an address and view a map with a list of all registered offenders within a radius of the desired location. It will also allow citizens to be notified via e-mail if offenders move into their neighborhood.
Effective midnight on July 1, 2010, OffenderWatch started being used by all 92 Indiana county sheriffs. It is endorsed by the National Sheriff’s Association as well as the Indiana Sheriff’s Association.
Captain John Boyd states: “This system is more up-to-date than the current sex offender registry and can be accessed by the public via the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office community webpage: www.laportecountysheriff.com.
Sheriff’s office staff verified offender information transferred from the old system to the new system and will continue to adjust and amend.
OffenderWatch will aid in the management and tracking of registered offenders in LaPorte County. To date, there are 207 registered sex and violent offenders living or working in LaPorte County.
“Tracking these offenders is a priority and a challenge and this new technology will greatly assist us in doing so,” Boyd said. “We are equally pleased that the public can also benefit from knowing the whereabouts of these offenders and we encourage the public to check their neighborhoods or the neighborhoods of their children’s caregivers.”
