NM Sex Offender Web Site Now Online

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Public Safety has announced new tools and additions to the state sex offender website that provides more information to help families protect themselves.

Anyone can sign up for active notification when sex offenders move into a neighborhood. By signing up to receive these email notifications people can select up to 3 addresses and 3 radius ranges, 1 mile, 3 mile or 5 mile radius from the address listed.

When a sex offender moves into the area an email will be sent with information about the sex offender. The info is the same that appears on the website, but with the new address. New Mexico is one of only about 15 states that have this active notification.

Federal law, the Adam Walsh Act, requires states to have this in place by 2009. New Mexico is well ahead of most of the rest of the country.

Also added to the website is a Google mapping function that shows the location of sex offender residences and in some cases work addresses. The new function features icons that show where sex offenders live in selected search areas. When the cursor is moved over the “green man” icon and clicked, the offender information from the website is displayed.

Street level searches are now possible using the new website. In the past searches were limited to name, zip code, city or state parameters. Now searches can be generated from a street address and expand to show sex offenders in1, 3 or 5 mile radius from that street.

Local sheriff’s departments are required to collect sex offender information each year. Sex offenders are required to notify the sheriff’s departments within 10 days of moving to a new or different address. This information is given to the Department of Public Safety and updated every day.