FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Governor Ehrlich Also To Sign Bills Strengthening Maryland's Sex Offender Registry
ANNAPOLIS – Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., announced this week that Maryland is one of four states chosen by the Department of Justice to participate in a pilot project to establish an online national sex offender registry accessible to the public. The initiative links preexisting state registries and gives parents and concerned citizens immediate access to sex offender information. Governor Ehrlich will also sign several bills tomorrow to strengthen Maryland's sex offender registry.
“We are honored that Maryland has been chosen to participate in a project that leverages technology to better protect our kids,” said Governor Ehrlich. “This national online project gives parents and other concerned citizens real-time access to information that keeps our children safe. I am also proud to sign into law two bills to tighten our oversight of convicted sex offenders.”
Maryland will participate in the pilot project along with Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. If the pilot is successful, all state sex-offender registries would be linked via the national search engine. Maryland was chosen based on its long-standing track record in Sex Offender Registry (SOR) management, its commitment to interjurisdictional cooperation and current SOR web site search capabilities. Maryland's registry is run by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
Access to a free nationwide search engine would allow school districts, assisted-living facilities and other employers to quickly check if a job applicant is a registered sex offender in another state. It would also provide an additional investigative tool for law-enforcement agencies, particularly those near state borders and in areas with large transient populations.
The National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) uses the Internet to search for and display public sex offender data from state and territory registries. The Department of Justice will work with states and territories to link their public registries, at no cost, to the national search site. The first goal of NSOPR is to have at least 20 states participating and the site available for public searches in 60 days.
In addition, Governor Ehrlich will sign four bills tomorrow to strengthen Maryland's sex offender registry, including:
House Bill 772 requires that the annual registration required for child sexual offenders include a new photograph and that sexually violent predators must register in person on certain dates each quarter and provide a new photograph every year.
House Bill 774 expands the definition of "release" of sexual offenders to include work release, home detention or community release and provides that "transients" - or nonresidents who intend to be in the state for more than 14 days or a aggregate of 30 days in a year except for education or employment purposes - must also register.