The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department has launched its own sex offender Web site that will make finding the location of sex offenders in the area with the click of a button.
Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson told the Times-Courier Monday, March 12, that the site was up and running and the information on the site was current.
“We are excited about having this service available to the citizens of Gilmer County. Even though the law required us to have this in place, we have felt that this issue was important enough to offer it anyway,” said the sheriff.
A law that went into effect July 1, 2006, required that all sheriffs’ departments in Georgia have those who have been convicted of sex offenses living in their county listed on the department’s Web site. All sex offenders must register within 24 hours of their birth date every year, and they also must notify the proper authorities when they relocate from one area to another.
Nicholson said the new program which his department is using provides almost “up-to- the-minute” information, and it has a feature that allows citizens to be notified if a sex offender moves into their area.
“Our site will be as up-to-date as that of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which, by the way, will have a link from our Web site” said the sheriff. “Also, if a person desires to receive e-mail alerts when a sex offender moves into an area near their residence, they can go to our site and request an alert. This is something we have not had in the past.”
Nicholson added that the sex offender’s location will be displayed on a map for those who are interested to view.
The new program has already paid off according to the sheriff. “Det. Frank Copeland, the officer who works these cases, among other things, has already locked up three offenders for violations since the new law went into effect.”
The new program is also economical for the sheriff’s department. “This has been a good move technology-wise for the sheriff’s department. We will be able to rely on this for a long time, and it is very inexpensive to operate. When dealing with the sex offender situation, money should not be an object. Our children should be protected at all cost. We are fortunate that this important service does not come with a high price tag.”
Nicholson said for those who do not have a computer, the same information is available at the sheriff’s office, the Gilmer County Clerk of Court’s office, or the Gilmer County Library. He added, “However, the information on the computer will be more up- to-date than the hard copies located at these public buildings.”
The Web site also offers safety tips and an informative presentation. “I encourage the citizens to visit this site and become familiar with it,” said the sheriff.