KBIC SORNA Implementation Project

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.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community L'Anse Reservation is in the process of developing the capacity, infrastructure, and coordination elements it needs to implement and maintain a SORNA Program. The community intends to carry out this plan in four ways. First, the community will establish a sex offender registration and monitoring unit in the Tribal Police Department that will be responsible for implementing and monitoring SORNA compliance requirements. Second, it will acquire equipment, improve infrastructure connections, collect biometric data, and convert files into a digital format to implement a new records management system. Third, the community will provide SORNA compliance training and technical support to police officers and tribal staff. Finally, the community will develop a culturally appropriate community education program to provide information about the notification system.

ca/ncf