The Navajo Nation Sex Offender Registration 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 Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety (DPS) will focus on building the functional and technical capacity of the DPS to implement SORNA. Grant funds will support upgrading the DPS Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) connection with the neighboring jurisdiction for purposes of sharing criminal justice information with national databases as required by SORNA, and enhance information technology resources through the purchase of computers, external hard drives, and scanners. The DPS will also purchase and strategically locate three digital finger/palm print scanners among the seven police districts to support sex offender registration activities. As the sex offender registry is a new program, funds will support training for DPS personnel responsible for registration duties.

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