Athens county citizens now can check if sexual offenders live in their neighborhoods by accessing the names and addresses of offenders online.
The Athens County Sheriff's Office made the names and addresses of all sexual offenders in Athens County available online about two and a half months ago, said Teresa Kirkendall, deputy records clerk at the Sheriff's Office. There are almost 50 sexual offenders listed in Athens County.
Web sites listing sexual offenders are more common now, said Athens County Sheriff Vern Castle.
Before the Web site, residents could only find the names and addresses of sexual offenders if they were alerted by the Sheriff's Office or by calling the Sheriff's Office and asking about a specific person in his or her community, Kirkendall said.
Ohio University and the Ohio University Police Department also pushed for the Web site's creation because of the Jeanne Clery Act, a federal law that requires universities to disclose certain information about campus crime and security policies, said Lt. Rich Russell of OUPD.
OUPD wanted the Web site because the department wants to make people aware of crime and to increase safety. While the Sheriff's Office is responsible for updating the Web site, the University helps to publicize it by referring people to the Web site, Russell said.
In order to keep the Web site updated, sexual offenders moving into Athens County are responsible for notifying the Sheriff's Office seven days before moving to the county. If an offender is charged through the Athens court system, the Sheriff's Office is notified through the courts, Kirkendall said.
All other Ohio counties also require that sexual offenders moving into any Ohio County must alert public officials in their county prior to moving in, she said.
Because the Web site is relatively new, the pictures of the sexual offenders are not available online, but the Sheriff's Office is considering the option for the future, Kirkendall said.
We made the Web site to inform the citizens of Athens County of any sexual offenders and also to help OU to meet its requirements
Castle said. 17
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