State enhances sex offender website

Finding out if any sex offenders live in your community is now as easy as logging on to your computer.

Neighborhood mapping is just one of the features of a newly expanded state Sex Offender Registry website, announced Tuesday by the Delaware Department of Justice and the State Police.

“The advantage of this is that the awareness for the public is going to increase in a lot of ways,” said Delaware State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Coupe. “People will be better informed. They’ll be more aware of their neighborhoods and surroundings.”

Some of the new features include: offender vehicle registration search; offender E-mail search; a “Real Time” wanted sex offender page; and a neighborhood mapping capability that helps the public determine proximity to offenders.

Col. Coupe says the public may be surprised at how many sex offenders live in their area.

“Take a look and see who they are and where they live,” he said. “Be familiar with what they look like so that if you have children or there are children in your neighborhood you can be aware and look out for their safety.”

Officials say the easiest way to get to the link is through the State of Delaware website or the Delaware State Police website.

Authorities also announced a new initiative to require sex offenders convicted before the 1994 enactment of Delaware’s sex offender registry law to be placed on the state registry.

Over 900 sex offenders have been identified as potential Delaware residents that will now be required to register as sex offenders.