E-mail search key tool to obtaining more information

Delaware State News

DOVER — Worried the next-door neighbor may be a sexual offender and want to know for sure?

Thanks to the new state police and Delaware Department of Justice sex offender registry, the answer to that question just got easier.

The Delaware Department of Justice and the state police launched the new state sex offender Web site Tuesday.

"This one’s a lot friendlier to the public. They’re going to get a lot more information," said Col. Robert M. Coupe, superintendent of the state police.

In addition to names, charges, addresses of home, work and school and photographs, the new Web site details information on any vehicles a sex offender may be driving and also lists an e-mail address, which is useful for locating online sex offenders.

Sgt. Thomas Carver of the Sexual Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit said the e-mail search tool is useful in situations where minors are talking to strangers over the Internet.

"This is the most valuable to parents," Sgt. Carver said, because they can simply insert an e-mail address into the Web pages sex offender search bar to see if the stranger is a registered offender.

Under the "Wanted for Failure to Register" link, also a new feature, Delawareans will be able to see up-to-the-moment information on offenders with warrants out on them.

There are two ways on top of the e-mail database to search for sex offenders on the Web site.

One is the offender search, where citizens can put in a name, a school or work address, or a business name and see what pops up in the area.

For the name search, a last name is needed, or at least a last initial.

"What I can do is just enter an ‘S’ and I will get any offenders whose last name begins with ‘S,’" Sgt. Carver explained.

The other sex offender search allows Delawareans to check out where offenders are in their neighborhoods.

The Web site uses a neighborhood mapping capability which provides citizens with a visual aid to determine the proximity of offenders.

Offenders are outlined in the area by red push pins for Tier III, or high-risk, offenders and uses yellow push pins for Tier II, moderate offenders.

Those browsing the map can simply click on a push pin and information about the specific offender will pop up.

The Web site changes were developed through the collaboration among the attorney general’s office, Delaware State Police, Delaware Child Predator Task Force, Department of Technology and Information and Delaware Justice Information System.

"Through this partnership we’ve been able to develop a state-of-the-art Web site to allow Delaware citizens to stay informed," said Col. Roupe.

The agencies also announced Tuesday a new initiative to require sex offenders who were convicted before the 1994 enactment of Delaware’s sex offender registry law to be placed on the State Sex Offender Registry.

Christina Showalter, a deputy attorney general and Kent County prosecutor with the state Department of Justice, said the initiative brings Delaware one step closer to being compliant with the Adam Walsh Act.

"This means, in the coming days, letter of notification will go out to close to 900 individuals who committed a sex crime prior to 1994," Ms. Showalter said.

"They will be required to respond to that letter in 10 days," or face being charge with a crime, she said.

The Delaware sex offender registry can be accessed through the state police Web site at dsp.delaware.gov or through the State of Delaware Web site at http://www.delaware.gov.