New Mexico Department of Public Safety Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program

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 New Mexico Department of Public Safety will utilize grant funds to implement the following goals: (1) enhance jurisdiction-wide implementation of SORNA by implementing sex offender management software that will advance technological functioning and features of the state's existing sex offender registration program; (2) develop and implement training for law enforcement personnel responsible for sex offender activities as they relate to SORNA implementation; (3) acquire document scanners to convert offender documents to digital format; and (4) develop and implement processes and procedures for the monthly reporting of grantee data.

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