Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2010, $145,472)
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) (Pub. L. 109-248, 42 U.S.C. § 16901, et seq) authorizes the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) to administer sex offender management grants. These grants assist state, local and tribal jurisdictions in developing and/or enhancing sex offender registration and notification programs that support substantial implementation of Title I of the AWA, known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). SORNA was enacted to protect the public from convicted sex offenders and offenders against children by establishing a comprehensive national system for the registration of those offenders.
South Dakota's Division of Criminal Investigation (DIC) requires funding to help ensure compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act under the Adam Walsh Act. The DIC's goal is to complete programming changes and upgrades to provide needed equipment so that all local law enforcement agencies will be able to electronically submit sex offender registrations, and update information to the sex offender database which will provide the public with notification through email when the status of an offender changes. With the help of funding, the DIC will purchase fingerprint/signature scanners so law enforcement has the option of having an offender sign the form in electronic format, link the sex offender database to that of the SD Driver's Licensing database to provide another opportunity to verify address information of registered offenders as well as search for non-compliant offenders, and purchase one scanner, computer and monitor to use solely for the project. Due to the implementation of a 3-tiered system for the sex offender registry, this too will require reprogramming of the existing sex offender database, electronic registration forms and the sex offender registry public website.
ca/ncf