Trenton - New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey today applauded the activation of a national Megan's Law sex offender Web site that will enable parents and concerned citizens throughout the U.S. to obtain sex offender information nationwide with a single Internet search.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office provided expert assistance to the U.S. Department of Justice in developing and implementing the national Web site, participating in a four-state pilot project that led to the site's launch. The National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR), activated late yesterday by the Department of Justice, provides online access to existing state and territory sex offender registries through the Web address www.nsopr.gov.

The ability to conduct a single Internet search for sex offender information nationwide will enhance the ability of parents to protect their children, particularly those who live near state borders or who want to track a particular offender who may have moved across state lines.

"New Jersey continues to serve as a leader nationally in implementing Megan's Law and enhancing the protections it provides for children," said Acting Governor Richard J. Codey. "New Jersey's role as a pilot state in implementing this national Web site is another example of our commitment to ensuring that parents have the tools and the information they need to protect their children from sex offenders."

"As a result of our collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice, sex offender information is now available to the public throughout the United States through this national site," said Attorney General Harvey. "Parents can now use their personal computers to gain immediate access to information on sex offenders that extends beyond the borders of their home state. We are continuing to strive through initiatives such as this to ensure that we fulfill the vital goal of Megan's Law – informing parents about the danger of sex offenders their children may encounter."

The U.S. Department of Justice requested New Jersey's assistance because it recognized the national leadership role that the New Jersey Attorney General's Office has assumed both in drafting and implementing Megan's Law and in developing law enforcement technology. The Attorney General's Office and Division of State Police provided technical and other assistance to the Department of Justice. The three other pilot states were Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.

"We live in a highly mobile and technologically advanced society in which we all enjoy a great deal of freedom. But this freedom means we must be diligent to protect our citizens from sexual predators who frequently use the Internet and travel throughout the country," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. "I'm proud of the work our experts have done to help bring about this national sex offender registry, and I hope people everywhere will use every tool available to protect the ones they love."

Members of the New Jersey State Police Identification and Information Technology Section and the New Jersey Office of Information Technology helped to test and refine the NSOPR as participants in the pilot program. The site allows data from the different systems used by existing online registries to be recognized and accessed through a single national search. It allows parents and other concerned citizens to conduct searches free of charge across all of the available sex offender registries and obtain results through queries using a sex offender's name, county, town or zip code.

The NSOPR currently links to 22 sites including the District of Columbia and the following states: New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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