The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website

Launched in October of 2006, and named in honor of Dru Sjodin, the Department of Justice's National Sex Offender Public Website offers the public the chance to search all Sex Offender Registries in the United States and its Territories from one webpage. The NSOPW even makes it possible to search the very few States such as Colorado who do not maintain a public online Sex Offender Registry.

"Dru's Law"

Dru Sjodin was a 22 year old UND student who was abducted on November 22, 2003 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Her body was found on April 17, 2004 near Crookston, Minnesota. Alfonso Roriguez, who had been arrested on December 1, 2003 in connection to the abduction, was eventually convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. Rodriguez had been released from a Minnesota Prison the previous May of 2003 after serving 23 years for stabbing and attempting to kidnap another woman, and had also pleaded Guilty to raping yet another woman.

The public outcry from this crime led to the passage of "Dru's Law" which called for a national Sex Offender Registry. "Dru's Law" became part of the "Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act" which was signed into Law by President Bush on July 27, 2006.

NSOPW

The National Sex Offender Public Website can be found at: http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx .

As far as Government sites go, it is supremely user friendly. Under the "Advance Search" option, you can search buy such things as Zip Code, or city to obtain identities of all Registered Sex Offenders listed in that area. Names listed as results are linked to more detailed files with photographs and other information.

To test the system I went to the advanced search option, selected Minnesota under the State option, and typed in the name of a guy from my home town that I knew was a sex offender. I was a bit suprised when I received a zero hits message. I backed the site up to the standard nationwide search and tried again. Score! He now lives in Chicago, Illinois. I did not he had moved, but now with NSOPW, it's a simple task to track him from state to state.

For the next test I tried my current Zip Code. Wow! Apparently I live in sex offender central, including one guy who lives about 300 yards away. Well, I've looking to move anyway, this is just one more reason. And with NSOPW I can check out any neighborhood I'm considering buying in. Unless I was on the fence, it wouldn't be the deciding factor, but in todays world, it would be a factor nevertheless.

So, if you've ever wondered if a Registered Sex Offender lived near by, with the NSOPW you can now find out quickly and easily. It is a tool that was long overdue.