Sex Offender Registry Mapping Application

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) currently provides public Internet access to a registry of Maryland Sex Offenders as part of a state effort to protect children and other vulnerable populations from persons with histories of sexual crimes and offenses.

The Applications Development Division at TU-CGIS has been working with DPSCS to increase the utility of the registry by adding a mapping component. The resulting Sex Offender Registry Mapping application is a publicly available map-enabled Web site that offers access to several user-friendly Internet mapping tools. Individuals can easily find out if anyone convicted of sexual offenses lives in close proximity to their home, shopping, school, or work communities.

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., announced the release of the Sex Offender Registry Mapping application to the public at a special event on August 17, 2006 at the Ocean City Police Department Headquarters. The event coincided with the Maryland Association of Counties annual Summer Conference held in Ocean City from August 17th to August 19th.

“For many years now, sexual predators have used computers to reach our children,” said Governor Ehrlich. “Now, we can use this same technology to arm ourselves with the most updated information on who these predators are and where they are likely to move. It’s really another powerful tool we as parents and child care professionals can use to protect Maryland’s children.”

The Sex Offender Registry Mapping site can be accessed from the current DPSCS Web site at www.dpscs.state.md.us/onlineservs/sor/, or at www.socem.info.

To read the full text of Governor’s press release, click here.