Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2010, $300,000)
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.
In order for the state of Arkansas to meet SORNA requirements, grant funding will be needed to improve its sex offender registry. Arkansas plans to make every effort possible to become a completely electronic submission state sex offender registry. It is also Arkansas' intent to put in place, within the local law enforcement agencies, technology to assist in electronically submitting required information to maintain the state's sex offender registry requirements. This will be done through the installation of 400 web cameras that will allow law enforcement to collect offender photos and submit them electronically to the registry. Law enforcement Agencies will also receive electronic signature pads that will allow for the collection of signatures used with registration forms, verification of residency and change of address documents. Additionally, programming staff will be hired for one year to assist in the creation of any new programming and to modify current programming to allow for all electronic submissions. The agency will also seek assistance from web-site experts to create and manage a secure web-based portal through which law enforcement agencies will submit the information. Finally, training on the process and electronic devices will be conducted throughout the state and will include multiple agencies.
ca/ncf