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MANDEVILLE, La., October 23, 2025 (Newswire.com) -
OffenderWatch®, the nation’s premier software provider offering sex offender registry (“SOR”) management and community notification network solutions, announced that it has received a significant investment from the STG Allegro fund.

Through this strategic partnership, OffenderWatch® and STG will use the capital to enhance the Company’s product offerings, accelerate innovation, and expand its reach to deliver even greater value to law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Founded in 2000 by Lou Luzynski and Mike Cormaci, and led by the current CEO Ben Luzynski, OffenderWatch® has become the nation’s trusted provider in SOR management and community notification. Over more than 25 years, the Company has unwaveringly prioritized public safety and endeavored to support and empower the everyday heroes in law enforcement that keep our communities safe. With a network of more than 4,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada, OffenderWatch® provides secure, configurable solutions to more than 15,000 law enforcement officers, agency staff, and community members to help monitor hundreds of thousands of offenders.

"For more than two decades, OffenderWatch® has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement in their mission to protect communities and families,” said Ben Luzynski, CEO of OffenderWatch®. “Our success has always been built on trust – trust from the officers who rely on our platform and the communities they serve. Partnering with STG allows us to deepen that commitment by investing further in technology, security, and support that strengthen those partnerships. We’re excited to work with STG to continue empowering law enforcement with tools that make their jobs safer, smarter, and more effective.”

Rushi Kulkarni, Managing Director, Co-Lead of STG Allegro said,

“The OffenderWatch® team’s dedication to their law enforcement customers and to their mission to keep communities safe is reflected in the quality of the OffenderWatch® platform and network. We have been impressed by the Company’s ability to provide high-quality, reliable software at great value to its customers. We look forward to partnering with the OffenderWatch® management team to continue delivering best-in-class software, product innovation, support, and value to law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.”

STG’s investor base includes several police and public safety pension funds, whose commitment to community well-being and public service aligns closely with OffenderWatch®’s mission – further underscoring the shared purpose behind the partnership. Guggenheim Securities, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to STG on this transaction, and Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisor.

About OffenderWatch
OffenderWatch is the nation’s premier sex offender registry management software provider, serving law enforcement and the public for over 25 years. The Company provides law enforcement agencies and public officials with the tools they need efficient, compliant, and effective sex offender registry management and community notification.

‍About STG
STG is a private equity partner to market leading companies in data, software, and analytics. The firm brings experience, flexibility, and resources to build strategic value and unlock the potential of innovative companies. Partnering with a goal to build customer-centric, market winning portfolio companies, STG seeks to create sustainable foundations for growth that bring value to existing and future stakeholders. The firm is dedicated to transforming and building outstanding technology companies in partnership with world class management teams. STG’s expansive portfolio has consisted of more than 50 global companies. For more information, please visit http://www.stg.com/.

SafeCheck+ Provides  Improved Screenings for Residential Communities

As the nation’s leading sex offender registry (SOR) monitoring and community notification network, OffenderWatch is proud to announce a strategic partnership with TenantEvaluation, a trusted provider of risk management solutions. This collaboration will empower TenantEvaluation to roll out SafeCheck+, a cutting-edge tool designed to deliver enhanced and timely access to the most comprehensive sex offender data available.

Through this partnership, TenantEvaluation will leverage OffenderWatch’s extensive database and expertise, which has been trusted by over 4,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide for more than 25 years. SafeCheck+ will provide landlords and communities with near real-time, accurate sex offender information, enabling safer tenant screenings and improved public safety in homeowner and condominium communities.

“We are thrilled to partner with TenantEvaluation to bring SafeCheck+ to the forefront of risk management,” said George Sosa, Director of Strategic Partnerships at OffenderWatch. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to public safety, ensuring that residential associations have the most up-to-date and reliable data to make informed decisions that protect their communities.”

TenantEvaluation’s innovative approach, combined with OffenderWatch’s robust SOR network, will streamline the process of identifying potential risks, reducing the time and effort traditionally required for manual searches. This partnership marks a significant step forward in safeguarding communities by integrating advanced technology with trusted data.

For more information about SafeCheck+ and the OffenderWatch-TenantEvaluation partnership, please visit https://www.tenantevaluation.ai/safecheck or https://www.tenantevaluation.ai/get-started.

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About OffenderWatch

OffenderWatch is the nation’s premier sex offender registry management and community notification system, serving law enforcement and the public for over 25 years. With a network of over 4,000 agencies, OffenderWatch provides secure, configurable solutions to monitor offenders and protect communities.

About TenantEvaluation

TenantEvaluation is a leading provider of risk management and tenant screening solutions, dedicated to helping Property Management companies and communities make informed decisions to enhance safety and reduce liability.

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The Caribbean, known for its vibrant cultures and picturesque landscapes, faces an urgent public safety challenge—the effective monitoring and management of sex offenders. While some nations have made progress in implementing sex offender registries, the region as a whole still lacks a standardized, integrated approach.

OffenderWatch^® President Mike Cormaci provides an overview of how many Caribbean nations are handling offender registration and monitoring, the unique challenges facing the region, and what could be done to address these critical issues:

Strengthening Sex Offender Management in the Caribbean: A Call for Modernization and Regional Collaboration

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The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has announced its integration into the nationwide OffenderWatch sex offender registry network, enhancing its ability to track registered offenders and share crucial information with law enforcement agencies across the country.

OffenderWatch, the leading sex offender registration solution in the United States, is utilized by over 3,500 local and state law enforcement agencies in 33 states. This advanced software streamlines interagency collaboration, allowing for efficient offender tracking and investigation coordination. Madison County residents can now access the Madison County Sheriff’s Office website to search for registered offenders in their neighborhood and subscribe to email alerts for updates.

“Madison County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to join the coast-to-coast OffenderWatch network in order to better share information, coordinate investigations, and collaborate on sex offenders,” said Sheriff Todd Hood. “When a registered offender moves into the county, our deputies save countless hours on data entry, enabling us to be more proactive in offender management and keeping the community informed.”

With over 900,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S., agencies often rely on disparate systems for offender management. OffenderWatch bridges these gaps by allowing different agencies to collaborate on a single offender record, improving accuracy and public safety.

“Data sharing among law enforcement agencies leads to better investigations and safer communities,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “With Madison County joining our network, we expand our ability to protect children and reduce victimization.”

Madison County residents can also download the free OffenderWatch App on Android and iPhone devices, providing real-time notifications about registered offenders moving into their area. The app includes online safety tips and guidance on discussing offender awareness with children.

For more information or to sign up for email alerts, visit www.offenderwatch.com.

‍Read More: Madison County Officials Joining National Sex Offender Network | https://wibx950.com/madison-county-sheriffs-office-taking-steps-to-protect-community-from-sex-offenders/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

A 31-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender as mandated by state law, according to the Grimes County District Attorney’s Office. Gage Anthony Stringo was sentenced on July 12 of this year after pleading guilty to the charge of failing to register.

Stringo was arrested on November 5, 2023, during a routine encounter with deputies from the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office in Todd Mission, TX. Authorities investigated and discovered that Stringo had not registered since April 2020, despite the fact that he had been sentenced to prison and was required to maintain lifetime registration after his release due to a prior conviction for indecency with a child in Montgomery County.

Sgt. Trey Oldham of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office noted that Stringo’s case is not unique, but explained how OffenderWatch has helped his county mitigate the strain that many law enforcement agencies face due to non-compliant offenders. 

While Sgt. Oldham acknowledged that some offenders abscond from the area or fail to keep up with the requirements, others face challenges—including homelessness—that can interfere with their ability to register even if they intend to stay compliant. 

“They bounce from place to place a lot of times, so it’s a little bit more difficult to keep up. They face other challenges too, like transportation needs and communication needs to communicate. So that’s a bigger challenge for them and for us,”

Sgt. Oldham noted that all of these issues can strain the resources of agencies that don’t have an integrated system for collecting and sharing sex offender records across jurisdictions because they have to transfer and manage all of their files manually. Manual management processes are not only more time consuming; they also contain more potential failure points for monitoring agencies.

“We have a unique situation and we’re also kind of fortunate when it comes to working with other counties and even other agencies that are out of state [because of OffenderWatch]. If a sex offender is moving from our jurisdiction, say to a jurisdiction in another state that is also an OffenderWatch agency, we can literally pick that sex offender’s profile and hand it over to that partner agency immediately,” Sgt. Oldham said. “So it makes the transition a lot smoother and a lot faster. For non-OffenderWatch agencies, of course, they would have to do things in a manual way. So they would have to either mail records or email records individually,” 

Thanks to OffenderWatch and the active efforts of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office to regularly monitor offenders and verify their addresses more efficiently, Sgt. Oldham pointed out that Brazos County has succeeded in keeping non-compliance rates very low. Many experts conclude that minimizing non-compliance is key to preventing repeat offenses.

 “I think that the biggest goal of the sex offender program is to make sure that sex offenders are accounted for. We know where they’re at at all times,” Sgt. Oldham said. 

Currently, there are nearly 800,000 individuals throughout the United States who have been placed on a sex offender registry, with the state of Texas alone accounting for approximately 100,000 of that total.

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Sexual predators have come to rely on the cover and anonymity of social media to identify, groom, and ensnare victims.  It is easier for criminals to cover their tracks in the digital realm than the terrestrial realm.  In addition, social media platforms, video games and other digital platforms provide predators with the ability to reach out nationally, far beyond their own zip codes. Law enforcement takes special measures when dealing with convicted sex offenders.  Due to the grievous nature of their crimes and their statistical likelihood to re-offend, the activities of convicted sex offenders must be monitored closely, particularly in the digital and social media realm.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, released sex offenders were more than three times as likely as other released prisoners to be arrested for rape or sexual assault.  In addition, half of the released sex offenders had a subsequent arrest that led to a conviction. When watching the news and reading news stories, it is striking how often sex offenders are captured and convicted for their illicit activities, particularly involving computers and digital communications.  The frequency of the appearance of these stories can be disturbing.  But the public, particularly parents, should be glad to know that law enforcement places the effective management of convicted sex offenders as a top priority.

The more arrests and convictions you see of these malignant individuals who seek harm to our most vulnerable, the less of them there are free in our society.

A powerful tool available to both law enforcement and parents is Safe Virtual Neighborhood, a new app developed by OffenderWatch. Safe Virtual Neighborhood, which is available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores, alerts parents and law enforcement if a registered sex offender contacts a child on his/her smart device. With effective monitoring and impactful new technologies like Safe Virtual Neighborhood, law enforcement and parents are better able to work together to protect children and prevent the unthinkable.

For more internet safety tips, follow OffenderWatch on Facebook and Twitter.

Read the original article on FoxNews.com.A joint mission to create a coordinated sex offender registry across 15 Caribbean nations – tracking them both in that region and eventually across the world – was announced this week, urging all governments in the sector to follow in the footsteps of Trinidad and Tobago, which was the first country in the collective to pass its own laws related to convicted sex offenders.

The advocacy partnership, entitled “Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry,” is driven by a leading sex offender registry management solution for law enforcement, OffenderWatch, along with the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC), an initiative of nonprofit Zandoli USA.

The endeavor is focused on propelling the other nations in the Caribbean Community – officially dubbed CARICOM – to implement similar bills over the course of the next year so they can create the unified registry between the Caribbean automatically coordinated with the U.S. and stop international sex crimes and child trafficking before they occur.“This is our vision —a child molester who goes into prison today and serves their sentence will be released into a world where their information is shared with almost every country in the world, and any of their attempts to solicit children on the internet can be tracked using the software,” Jonathan Bhagan, chairman of the CCASC, told Fox News.

ARIMA, Trinidad and Tobago (Sept. 15, 2020)—OffenderWatch, the leading sex offender registry management solution, and the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC), an initiative of nonprofit Zandoli USA, today announced a joint mission to implement sex offender registries across the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The sex offender registries would help fight the global crisis of sex crimes—many against children. Law enforcement worldwide would benefit from sex offender registries in CARICOM nations as it would assist in international investigations and hopefully prevent future sex crimes. OffenderWatch and Zandoli USA signed a Memorandum of Understanding that seeks to track sex offenders throughout the Caribbean and eventually across the world.CCASC works with non-profit and governmental agencies across CARICOM. All 15 CARICOM nations are at varying stages of implementing sex offender registration with Jamaica, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago already having laws on the books.The partners envision legislative change to implement a global sex offender registration system linking law enforcement agencies worldwide through a common database application. The objective will be to reduce child sex trafficking globally by facilitating international cooperation to track registered sex offenders as they move or travel from one country to another.Nearly 18.5 million people live in the CARICOM states. Sex Crime is endemic in the Caribbean region, which has been recognized by the United Nations as one of the regions with the highest rates of sex crime globally.The Memorandum of Understanding was signed this year by OffenderWatch President Mike Cormaci, Zandoli USA’s founder, Camille St. Omer and the Chairman of the Caribbean Committee against Sex Crimes, Jonathan Bhagan. CCAC was founded by Camille St. Omer, also vice chair, and includes Gina Maharaj Attorney at Law as vice chair.The first step of the proposed project is to approach the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to initiate a pilot project establishing the country’s first operational Sex Offender Registry using technology provided by OffenderWatch.Trinidad and Tobago became the smallest country in the world to pass a public sex offender’s registry law on September 13, 2019. Judges will have the discretion to choose which offenders undergo public registration.The partnership between OffenderWatch and Zandoli USA, named “Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry,” was inspired by the Angel Watch Center which monitors sex offenders attempting to enter or exit the United States. The Angel Watch Center was created by the passage of International Megan’s Law (IML) in the United States.Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry is designed to enhance the effectiveness of the US International Megan’s Law to End Child Sex Trafficking (HR 515) by implementing similar policies and software in partner countries.It is expected that law enforcement worldwide will benefit in many ways from a global sex offender registration network. There is huge potential for big data, predictive policing and AI algorithms to find new ways to prevent sex crime. The primary reason behind offenders entering a country and not registering is because the country of origin lacked an ability to notify a new country of the offender’s intention to move. The new program by OffenderWatch instantly executes a notification upon entering the address of where an offender intends to travel or relocate to.On September 28, 2019 a New York Times investigative report showed there is more child pornography being detected on the internet than ever before in history. OffenderWatch and Zandoli USA believe that Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry is part of the solution to the epidemic of child abuse imagery. Much of this imagery is produced by child sex offenders who travel abroad for the purpose of accessing vulnerable children.As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, a research paper will be produced to show the effectiveness of OffenderWatch’s software in deterring sex crimes. Special focus will be given to the International Megan’s Law to end Child Sex Trafficking, as well as the Angel Watch Center on how these measures have provided deterrence to sex offenders crossing borders.Some countries in the Caribbean do not have rape crisis shelters or proper mechanisms in place to help survivors of sexual assault report the crimes to the police and recover. Once sufficient funding is available, Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry will aid Caribbean charities which assist survivors of sexual assault.“Given the recent economic impact of Covid-19 on the tourism-dependent economies of CARICOM, I hope that international sponsors can fund our efforts to implement cutting-edge software in the Caribbean region. A recent CARICOM study by Dr. Justine Pierre revealed how widespread Human Trafficking is in our region. We will need funding from the United States, European Union and United Kingdom for our work and for other groups fighting against sex crime and Human Trafficking in the Caribbean,” said Jonathan Bhagan, Chairman of the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes.Sponsorship will be sought from governments and corporations willing to contribute towards the goal of preventing child sex trafficking and exploitation. Any government agency or corporation interested in partnering with Operation Global Sex Offender’s Registry is invited to contact globalsexoffenderregistry@gmail.com for more information.OffenderWatch is the nation's leading sex offender registration solution, with over 15,000 users at law enforcement agencies in 50 states using the technology. Local, state and federal agencies use the software to monitor offenders, communicate with other registering agencies, and immediately update the sex offender registry website and notify the community within a radius of the offender’s address. With each edit of the offender record, the OffenderWatch system automatically updates the department's sex offender listings on the department’s website and sends email notifications to the public.“We believe data shared between law enforcement agencies and countries leads to better compliance, more effective investigations and ultimately safer cities and neighborhoods,” said Mike Cormaci, President and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “When all of the countries of the Caribbean join our network, OffenderWatch will have 100% of the homes in the Caribbean covered by our reach. OffenderWatch supports more than just the legal requirements of a sex offender registry. Through improved timeliness, accuracy, and completeness, it supports the intent of the law: improved public safety through awareness—hopefully leading to fewer victims.”There are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. However, agencies and countries often use disparate systems for managing sex offenders. These systems can falter when offenders move from one agency to another or from one country to another (unconnected) jurisdiction, as it falls to the offender to notify the new agency by showing up at their offices to register. This can be an opportunity for an offender to “fall through the cracks” of the registry. OffenderWatch prevents this by automatically notifying and sharing records with destination agencies within the network. All relevant data from all sources and agencies is maintained in a single offender record, improving accuracy, offender accountability, and aiding in public safety.OffenderWatch will also allow local agencies to easily send real-time alerts to the public when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood. The service is available at no cost to the public, and people can sign up to receive email or mail notifications associated with any address-at home, school, work, gym, day care, a park, or more.As this collaboration with 15 networked countries of the Caribbean improves and streamlines offender management and public awareness, safety in the community is also enhanced, “With the OffenderWatch technologies, CARICOM governments will be able to focus more on protecting the public and less on time-consuming administrative work,” said Camille St. Omer and Jonathan Bhagan of the CCASC.Using OffenderWatch, all the countries of the Caribbean can instantly share records with each other and any other registering agency in the OffenderWatch within the network. Instead of spending hours researching each new offender and locating old court and registration documents, any country can instantly obtain the full historical record of the offender, packed with related documents and images. This information is vital as registry officers can collaborate with other agencies on child abductions and investigations of absconded offenders. OffenderWatch also connects the agency to improve collaboration with other investigators, all enhancing public safety. Additionally, residents of the Caribbean will have access through websites to search the full Caribbean OffenderWatch network for information on offenders to get the information they need to help keep their families safe in their physical as well as online activities.In today’s environment of ubiquitous technology, law enforcement must also focus on online safety. According to Camille and Jonathan of CCASC, “Sexual predators are unfortunately becoming an increased threat online, especially as kids are on the web more at home while sheltering in place. With a Global Sex Offender’s Registry system police in Trinidad can notify law enforcement in the United States if a Sex Offender resident in the USA is soliciting children in Trinidad in person or online. The end result is improved safety.”According to UNICEF an estimated 223 million children, 10 percent of the world's children, have been sexually assaulted; this includes 150 million girls and 73 million boys. Two million children are victims of sex trafficking or pornography.In 2019, there were more than 45 million images of children being sexually abused online, according to an investigation by the New York Times. Plus, tips reporting online child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children more than doubled from March 2019 to March 2020. Through the OffenderWatch partnership, CCASC will advocate for CARICOM to be the first group of countries to offer OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood (SVN), an app coming soon after the countries fully deploy and integrate within the network, that will proactively alert parents to online contact from registered sex offenders. While registered offenders are required to provide their electronic communications identifiers to be included in the sex offender registry database, this information is non-published, so is generally not available to the public. SVN continually monitors and compares users’ online contacts vs. this non-public data (email address, phone numbers, and registered online user ID’s) and alerts subscribers such as parents to contact law enforcement if a match is identified. Additionally, SVN issues an alert for when a users’ static physical location is an address matching that of a sex offender. This breakthrough technology helps keep kids safe by alerting parents of attempts by an offender in the network to electronically communicate with or lure a child.The partnership of CCASC and the OffenderWatch network of agencies streamlines the Sex Offender Registry process, improves community awareness, and supports the efforts of the countries of the Caribbean to continuously improve public safety. To learn more about OffenderWatch and sign up for email alerts on offenders, visit www.offenderwatch.com.

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ABOUT OFFENDERWATCHThere are nearly 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. Many states have different systems for tracking these offenders, making it difficult for agencies to update records when offenders cross state lines. OffenderWatch works with law enforcement agencies to provide registry software and tools to easily communicate information to the public. Founded in 2000 in Covington, La. under the Watch Systems company, OffenderWatch provides a variety services to sheriffs’ offices, police departments, Attorney Generals’ offices, U.S. Marshal judicial districts, U.S. attorneys, federal and state probation and parole agents, department of corrections, Indian tribes, and more. In 2018, OffenderWatch partnered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada to manage the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry. In 2019, OffenderWatch launched a new, groundbreaking technology, OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood. The mobile app identifies online contact from registered sex offenders through a child’s smartphone device, instantly alerting parents to the communication. Learn more at OffenderWatch.com.ABOUT CARIBBEAN COMMITTEE AGAINST SEX CRIMES & ZANDOLI USAThe Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes is an Initiative of Zandoli USA. It has advocated regionally for Sex Offender Registration and for all Caribbean governments to ensure that survivors of sex crimes are offered the support and rehabilitation that they need. The Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes is led by Chairman, Jonathan Bhagan and Vice-Chairperson, Gina Maharaj.

Houston PD Can Now Easily Share Data, Collaborate on Investigations with Harris County Sheriff’s Office & Other States

COVINGTON, La. (Sept. 2, 2020)—The Houston Police Department is the 34th major city in the U.S. to join the nationwide OffenderWatch sex offender registry network, adding more than 6,000 sex offender records to the database. By partnering with OffenderWatch, Houston PD will now be able to easily collaborate on investigations and share critical information involving registered sex offenders with not only the Harris County Sheriff's Office, but also with more than 3,000 other local law enforcement agencies across the country. Houston PD monitors more than 6,000 registered sex offenders.“When a registered offender moves from outside the city of Houston in Harris County to a city of Houston address, now registering officers won't have to spend time reentering data-because the offender record is seamlessly shared from one agency to another. All records in OffenderWatch transfer instantly to the new jurisdiction, saving us time and improving data accuracy,” said Chief of Police Art Acevedo. “With thousands of sex offenders moving in and out of the city and state every year, the new technology can save us time and improve our investigations by searching other agencies files.”**Houston residents can search for sex offenders or sign up for email alerts on the Houston PD website: https://www.houstontx.gov/police/sex_offender_databases/index.htm**OffenderWatch is the nation's leading sex offender registration solution, with law enforcement agencies in 37 states using the technology and over 15,000 users. Local and state agencies use the software to monitor offenders, communicate with other agency personnel and execute instant community notifications based on a radial address.It is estimated that by using OffenderWatch, the Houston PD can save more than 2,000 officer hours by instantly sharing records with Harris County and other registering agencies in the metro area. Houston PD will be able to collaborate in real time with other agencies on investigations and offender record details. The system will also automatically update the department's sex offender listings on the website and send email notifications to the public. OffenderWatch also allows the agency to better collaborate on investigations with the U.S. Marshals, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) teams and other investigators.“We believe data shared between law enforcement agencies leads to better investigations and safer cities and counties,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “With Houston joining our network, OffenderWatch now has more than 50 percent of the nation's children covered by our reach—hopefully leading to fewer victims.”There are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. However, agencies often use disparate systems for managing sex offenders. OffenderWatch allows different law enforcement agencies to collaborate on a single offender record, improving accuracy and aiding in public safety.OffenderWatch will also allow local agencies to easily send real-time alerts to the public when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood. The service is available at no cost to the public, and people can sign up to receive email or mail notifications associated with any address-at home, school, work, gym, day care, a park, or more.

New Orleans, June 28, 2020. The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate has identified 70 private, public, nonprofit and government entities as the top workplaces in the New Orleans area for 2020.The workplaces rose to the top in the newspaper’s annual Top Workplaces in New Orleans competition. The rankings of the companies will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held later this year.Through a partnership with the Philadelphia-based employee research and consulting firm Energage, employee surveys were conducted to assess outstanding workplaces. Any organization in the seven-parish metro area with 35 or more employees was eligible to compete.“During this challenging time, we are excited to highlight standout job providers,” said Sara Barnard, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “This will be the sixth year New Orleans has observed elite companies in our community that have been named a Top Workplace and we are honored to join in the celebration.”The workplaces will also be recognized in stories in a special newspaper section to be printed and distributed later this year.

There are about 7,000 registered sex offenders living in Maryland, many of whom have been convicted of crimes against children. All law enforcement agencies in the state of Maryland recently implemented a new technical system called OffenderWatch that completely integrates every agency into a network of 15,000 users who oversee 600,000 registered sex offenders. In addition to the network, the software helps each user streamline processes to improve the state’s sex offender registry.By using the OffenderWatch network, Maryland agencies moved away from using separate, stand-alone data systems for managing sex offender information to collaborating with the nation’s leading sex offender registry network of enforcement agencies. Collaboration on a single offender record has been proven to be the single most efficient way of tracking offenders as they move from one jurisdiction to another. As a member of the OffenderWatch network, Maryland agencies have seamless, real-time communication on offender relocations and with access to the nationwide database of sex offender records, improving efficiency, timeliness, and accuracy of the sex offender registry is instantly realized.OffenderWatch is the nation's leading sex offender registration solution, with more than 15,000 users at law enforcement agencies in 50 states using the technology. Local, state and federal agencies use the network to monitor sex offenders, communicate with other registering agencies, immediately update the sex offender registry website, and notify the community within a radius of the offender’s address. With each edit of the offender record, the OffenderWatch system automatically updates the department's sex offender listings on the department’s website and sends email notifications to the public.“We believe it’s critical for law enforcement agencies to share important data for multiple reasons: better compliance, more effective investigations and ultimately safer cities and neighborhoods,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “OffenderWatch makes sharing that data extremely easy, improving accuracy in the offender records and saving time in investigations when minutes and hours can mean the difference between life and death.”There are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. However, agencies often use disparate systems for managing sex offenders. These systems can falter when offenders move from one agency to another jurisdiction, as the offender must notify the new agency by showing up at their office to register. This can be an opportunity for an offender to “fall through the cracks” of the registry. OffenderWatch prevents this by automatically notifying and sharing records with destination agencies within the network. All relevant data from sources and agencies is maintained in a single offender record, improving accuracy, offender accountability, and aiding in public safety.OffenderWatch also allows local Maryland agencies to easily send real-time alerts to the public when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood. The service is available at no cost to the public, and people can sign up to receive email or mail notifications associated with any address—at home, school, work, gym, daycare, a park, or more.OffenderWatch also helps enhance community safety, as a collaboration with 3,500 networked agencies improves and streamlines offender management and public awareness. Using OffenderWatch, Maryland can instantly share records any other registering agency in the OffenderWatch national network. Instead of spending hours researching each new offender and locating old court and registration documents, Maryland agencies instantly obtain the full historical record of the offender, packed with related documents and images. This information is vital as registry officers can collaborate with other agencies on child abductions and investigations of absconded offenders.OffenderWatch also connects the agency to improve collaboration with the U.S. Marshals, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) teams and other investigators, all enhancing public safety. Additionally, residents will have access through the DPSCS website to search the full nationwide OffenderWatch network for information on offenders to get the information they need to help keep their families safe in their physical, as well as online.Sign up for free alerts when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood on the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services website: http://www.socem.info/.

Due to families spending more time at home and online, children are at an unprecedented risk of being exploited by sexual predators, and suspects may be more likely to coerce victims through sexploitation, according to the FBI.In a March 23 statement from the FBI, the investigative agency warned parents that “due to school closings as a result of COVID-19, children will potentially have an increased online presence and/or be in a position that puts them at an inadvertent risk.” Currently, virtual school conference calls across the country are facing harassment from “zoom-bombs” where individuals are entering meetings and exposing teachers and students to pornography.Here are some helpful tips on how to talk to your child about online predators:

1. Talk with kids about what is or isn’t appropriate contact on the internet.

Explain to a child that boundaries are necessary on the internet. Remind them that if they feel like they’re ever in an unsafe situation, reiterate that it is not their fault and you are always there to help them.

2. Monitor children’s behavior for common signs of online abuse.

If your child is experiencing an increase in nightmares, withdrawn behavior, angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, not wanting to be left alone with an individual or sexual knowledge, it could be a sign that they’re being harassed by a sexual predator.

3. Review all apps on their devices.

Talk to your child regularly about their favorite websites and apps. Review and approve games and apps before they are downloaded. Additionally, make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and electronics.

4. If you see evidence of illicit material sent to your child, contact your law enforcement agency.

If you believe someone is a victim of child sexual exploitation, contact your local law enforcement agency and your local FBI field office. Submit a tip online attips.fbi.gov.

• Make sure to provide as much of the following as possible: name and/or username of the subject, email addresses, phone numbers, websites used by the suspect and all documentation of communication.

5. Download the OffenderWatch app.

To keep a child safer online, download the OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood app to monitor unwanted communication from registered sex offenders. By signing up with Safe Virtual Neighborhood, parents are alerted if a registered sex offender engages their children through Snapchat, texts, phone calls or emails. Parents are also alerted if their child is near a sex offender’s home for an extended period of time.

Cloud computing and cloud-based solutionshavebecome increasingly popularfor law enforcement agencies. Should your agencyconsiderSoftware-as-a-Service(SaaS)?Many agenciescalculatethe total cost of ownership (TCO), not just the initial expense, when deciding between an on-premise or cloud-based software solution. TCOconsiders both direct and indirect costs associated with a purchase over the course of the full lifespan of the purchase.Your TCO calculation should include fixed indirect costs like administration and personnel costs,as well asrecurring indirect costssuch as subscription and maintenance fees.InperformingaTCO comparison between on-premise and cloud-basedsoftware,mostagenciessoon realize there is ahuge cost savingsincloud-based solutions for public safety agencies.

DIRECT CAPITAL EXPENSES 

Software License & Subscription 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• Licensed as a “pay as you go” subscription.  
• Low initial set-up fee.  
• Recurring subscription payments. 

• Requires a large upfront purchase of a software license and annual maintenance fees. 

INDIRECT OPERATING EXPENSES 

System Hardware 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• No physical hardware to purchase or maintain. 
• No storage or operational costs.  
• Server capacity, data compliance, and security are included. 

• Significant upfront costs for hardware purchases.
• Requires regular maintenance and other operational costs.  
• The agency is responsible for storing, securing, powering, and maintaining their system, and ensuring compliance with data storage requirements. 

Hardware and Software Installation 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• Accessed from any internet-connected device.
• No need to install physical hardware. 

• Requires the purchase of hardware, associated equipment and related vendor professional services.  
• Agency must provide secure facilities with physical storage space, reliable power/AC systems, and redundant network access. 
• Software must be installed on-site directly on agency hardware. 

Software Upgrades & Updates 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• Shorter, more frequent upgrade cycles.  
• No downtime during updates so your applications are available on a constant, reliable basis. 

• Software upgrades are usually expensive, irregularly timed, interrupt on-going work and are time-consuming to roll out.  
• Agencies often skip scheduled upgrades, leading to increased vulnerability to cyber-attack. 

Scalability 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• Scalable and “Future-proof” to handle increasing demands of the agency.  
• Additional storage capacity is included in your subscription cost or available for an additional fee. 

• Systems hardware requires periodic upgrades to meet expanding demands for increased speed and storage capacity. 

Security 

Cloud-based SoftwareOn-Premise Systems

• Security updates and upgrades for systems are kept up to date. 
• CJIS facilities and Security certifications and protections are available.  

• All security measures are the responsibility of and must be performed entirely by the agency. 
• Keeping up to date with security checks is costly and time consuming for IT staff. 
• Security certifications and facility audits may be too expensive and time-consuming for individual agencies. 

CHOOSING A SAAS VENDOR 

Evaluate vendors based on their success in providing software services of similar size and function.Choosing an experiencedsoftware-as-a-serviceproviderhelps ensurethe success of your projectby lowering technical, cost, and schedule risks.The selected vendor should beattuned to the special needs oflaw enforcement agenciesandthe impact on public safety.A complete solution includesongoing user trainingto agency staffand support forsoftware functionalchanges as a result of changes to statutes and agency policies.

OFFENDERWATCH AS A SAAS SOLUTION 

TheOffenderWatchsex offender registryproducthas been provided as asoftware-as-a-service (SaaS)solutionfor law enforcementsince 2001.An annual subscription enablesagencies to adoptthe latesttechnologywhileminimizingoperating expenses.Our law enforcement partners enjoyed online maps before Google Mapswas available,andOffenderWatchpioneered email notifications from law enforcement to the public. Over 20 yearsOffenderWatchhas successfully scaled to support over 15,000 users from 3,400 law enforcement agencies in 38 states. TodayOffenderWatchis expanding internationally and introducing new smart phone apps and artificial intelligence technologies to our public safety partners.

WWL Radio[/caption]Newell talks to Mike Cormaci, President and co-founder of OffenderWatch, about what we can do to keep our kids safe from predators on the internet. Listen to the WWL radio broadcast. 

OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood was featured in a segment on "Fox & Friends" about technology and apps that help keep students safe. Click the image above to watch the video. Copyright Fox & Friends. Learn how you can use Safe Virtual Neighborhood to help protect your children from online predators and sex offenders.

Fox News Kurt Knutsson shows you the best apps to help keep your students safe.

OffenderWatch SVN is one of the best apps to help keep your students safe. Kurt Knutsson of Fox News discusses OffenderWatch Safe Virtual Neighborhood App as one of the Kids safety apps to help parents, schools keep children safe.  Use the SVN app to see a map of sex offenders who live nearby and install the SVN App on your child's phone to follow their movement and see if there are registered sex offenders near your children. A Protect Plus subscription lets parents get an alert should a registered sex offender contact your child by email, phone, or text - or if your child lingers near a registered sex offenders home.  

Police agencies in Niagara County perform regular home checks for registered sex offenders. NiagaraSheriff.com has a list of sex offenders. All you have to do is search for your home address and you will find the offenders in your neighborhood.

There are about 578 registered sex offenders in Niagara County.

“People that have been convicted or found guilty of a crime of a heinous act against our most vulnerable individuals that are out there are children and they need to be protected,” said Joseph Flagler, Niagara County Sheriff's Office deputy.That’s why it’s helpful to know where the offenders live not just on Halloween when kids are trick-or-treating, but all the time. Years ago, sex offenders were listed in three-ring binders. Now thanks to an offender watch, you can find them in Niagara County through a quick internet search.“Progressive parents that know where they live in our community deal with them professionally, properly, do not harass the offender. It’s just knowledge that you know where they are,” said Flagler.NiagaraSheriff.com has a list of sex offenders. All you have to do is search for your home address and you will find the offenders in your neighborhood.Police agencies in Niagara County perform regular home checks for registered sex offenders, all under the jurisdiction of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.By Katherine Chloé Cahoon Niagara County

USA Today: St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne talks about the Safe Virtual Neighborhood App.

USA Today: St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne talks about the SVN app that will notify parents when a registered sexual offender contacts their child.[/caption]Mike Cormaci, far left, joins Sheriff Champaign at the press briefing covered by USA Today. The Safe Virtual Neighborhood app is installed on your child's phone and notifies parents should a registered contact their child.

The Leading Sex Offender Registry Network Provides Tips for Families to Keep Kids Safe

Sex offender registries play an important role in helping to keep children safe. Across the nation, sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies use the OffenderWatch software to effectively manage, track and communicate sex offender information across agencies and to the public.The OffenderWatch network connects most agencies nationwide in a collaborative environment to share and communicate real-time data on convicted sex offenders in the community. Publicly shared registry information is a critical tool for parents and the community to be aware of where sex offenders live and work in relation to bus stops, parks, schools, and other places where children may be present.Sheriff and police departments have checked and verified thousands of offenders’ home addresses, updated their websites and sent out hundreds of thousands of email notifications and post cards to the public outlining offender addresses changes. These agencies maintain real-time, verified offender data on their websites. On average, a typical state has over 50,000 changes and address modifications to the registry annually. Other indirect sources that purport to provide offender information cannot provide the same level of accuracy as the law enforcement agency itself. Now that kids are heading back to the classroom, parents are encouraged to check with their local sheriffs’ offices for the most comprehensive, complete and accurate information on sex offenders available, including photos and conviction information. Local agencies also send email notifications to the public about sex offender moves. Sign up with your sheriff or police department to receive automated updates via email when any offender moves into your geographic area. Follow these tips to become more informed about sex offenders in your neighborhood and learn how to talk to your children about the dangers of sexual abuse.

Tips for Safety from Registered Sex Offenders

• Trust Sex Offender Information Coming Directly from Law Enforcement – While there are many services online purporting to offer information on registered sex offenders, citizens should only trust information provided by their local sheriff’s office, police department or the state website. These agencies have the most up-to-date and accurate information available. Citizens can search for offenders, see a map of offenders near them, or directly submit a tip to law enforcement about an offender.
• Search for Offenders In Alabama: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
• Search for Offenders in Louisiana: Louisiana State Police
• Search for Offenders in Ohio: Ohio Attorney General’s Office
• Sign Up to Receive Email Alerts When Offenders Move Into Your Neighborhood – Sign up to receive notifications from law enforcement when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood, near your work or other address. Get Email Alerts from Law Enforcement
• Show Your Child Photos of Sex Offenders In Your Neighborhood – If you have young children, consider showing them a photo of registered sex offenders in your neighborhood and talking to them about the dangers of abuse.
• Have a Conversation With Your Child – Talk to your child about threats from criminals. Avoid scary details. Speak in general terms using the using language that is honest and age appropriate. If your child could possibly have contact with a registered sex offender, show your child the sex offender's photo. Be calm and instruct your child to avoid contact with the person or being near the offender's residence or workplace. More info: Talking to Children About Sex Offenders

OffenderWatch was featured in the media when we presented a local Tulsa sergeant with our national award for excellence in sex offender registry management. Out of 15,000 law enforcement members across the country using OffenderWatch, we selected Sgt. Randy Chapman to receive an award for outstanding public safety.Watch the full story at KTUL-TV.

by Erin Christy, KTUL staff

Thursday, June 27th 2019

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — “I’d like to thank the media for being here today”

It sounded like the start of a regularly scheduled news conference, just like many Sergeant Randy Chapman had attended many times.But after Sheriff Vic Regalado started talking about recognizing one of their deputies, and continued on about the sex offender registry, Chapman quickly realized he was attending a surprise conference in his honor.“When they mentioned my name, I thought it was a joke,” said Chapman. “I thought they were pulling a gag on me.”Chapman received national recognition for excellence in overseeing the sex offender registry for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.

The software company, “OffenderWatch,” gave the award.

Sheriff Regalado says Chapman revamped their system, and because Chapman entered more data than required, it helped them solve other criminal cases.“He has implemented policy that goes above and beyond what’s required by law,” said Regalado.To Sergeant Chapman, he says, he was just doing his job like everyone else.OffenderWatch is the largest sex offender registry in the United States and works with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies. This particular award is given to one person a year.If you’d like to receive free notifications when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood, sign up here.

Jefferson County Sheriffs Office offenderwatch news[/caption]

By John Huddleston | June 13, 2019 at 10:14 PM CDT - Updated June 13 at 10:14 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - It’s a tool that you can access anytime, anywhere. It’s called OffenderWatch. It’s a national network software program used by over 3,000 law enforcement agencies that shows you where sex offenders are located.

"Notify the public of where they are living, where they are working, and it’s a great tool for us to get the message out to the communities,” said Captain David Agee, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

You can access OffenderWatch through the Sheriff’s office website.

Once there, you can input your address and it will show you where any sex offenders are living within your neighborhood.

“People want information quick and fast and it gets there. It works for us,” said Agee.

Another tool is the ability to sign up for email alerts about when sex offenders move nearby.

The Sheriff’s office was recently recognized by OffenderWatch as one of the best in the nation for community awareness and for sending out over 375,000 emails to the community.

Watch the story at WBRC.com.

KANSAS CITY (Associated Press) — Missouri is the 20th state to join a nationwide sex offender registry. 

OffenderWatch said in a news release this week that every Missouri law enforcement agency that manages or investigates registered sex offenders will be able to collaborate on offender records, aid each other in investigations and share notifications with the public. It won a five-year contract from the Missouri Highway Patrol. 

Missouri has about 16,000 registered sex offenders. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says there are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. 

OffenderWatch says its service allows different law enforcement agencies to collaborate on a single offender record, improving accuracy and aiding in public safety. Its technology is used by more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies in 37 states. Read the story from the Associated Press on the Missourian.

Agencies join forces to share investigative information, send public notifications on registered sex offenders

ROCKWALL COUNTY, Texas (May 20, 2019)—Six law enforcement agencies in Rockwall County have all joined a sex offender registry network called OffenderWatch, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management and community notification technology solution. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and about 155 registered sex offenders living in Rockwall County, law enforcement now has access to the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registries to better manage registered sex offenders, share information for investigations, and easily communicate with agencies around the country. The Rockwall Sheriff’s Office, Rockwall Police Department, Heath Dept. of Public Safety, Royce Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, and Fate City Dept. of Public Safety have all selected the same technology to collaboratively manage, track and investigate registered sex offenders.“It is my opinion that this is another example of the law enforcement agencies in Rockwall County working together in the implementation of a program that will benefit the citizens of Rockwall County from a public safety perspective,” said Rockwall County Sheriff Harold Eavenson.Through the partnership, the Rockwall agencies and OffenderWatch share online resources to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and notification program is to provide Rockwall residents with real-time website updates when an offender registers in the jurisdiction and proactive email alerts if the registered offender moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.

• Sign up for emails when sex offenders move into your neighborhood from the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office here:Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office: http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_main.php?office=56603

“Joining the OffenderWatch national network of sex offender registries benefits not only residents of Rockwall County, but also bordering cities, counties and states because law enforcement can share critical investigative information on registered offenders,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We look forward to a long-term partnership in public safety for this top agency and growing our presence in Texas.”

Agency joins Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office on OffenderWatch network, sex offender registry database in ongoing effort to keep public safeSYRACUSE, N.Y. (May 1, 2019)—The Syracuse Police Department recently joined the OffenderWatch Network, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management and community notification technology solution. With more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and more than 600 registered sex offenders in Syracuse, the police department now has access to the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry information to better manage registered sex offenders and communicate with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and other surrounding law enforcement agencies. The Syracuse Police Department joins a national effort to remedy communication and data silos currently found across local, state and federal law enforcement agencies when monitoring and alerting on registered sex offenders.“We look forward to our partnership with OffenderWatch. We believe it to be both an effective asset to our operational efforts to enhance public safety, and a valuable resource for communities,” said Deputy Chief Derek McGork.Through the partnership, the police department and OffenderWatch share online resources to educate and inform the public on ways to keep neighborhoods safe. One purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to provide Syracuse residents with proactive alerts and real-time updates when an offender registers or moves within a specified radius of their address. The service is available at no cost to the public with confidential and unlimited address registrations—home, school, work, gym, day care, park, or any address of interest.The public can access the FREE OffenderWatch sex offender registry at the following link: • Syracuse: http://sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=56540 “Expanding the OffenderWatch network of sex offender registry data benefits not only residents of Syracuse, but also bordering cities, counties and states by sharing critical investigative information on registered offenders,” said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. “We look forward to being a long-term partner in public safety for this top agency and growing our presence in New York.”