2013 SC Law Enforcement Division AWA/SORNA Efforts

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 Carolina Law Enforcement Division plans to (1) enhance infrastructure through the procurement of cameras to capture digital images of sex offenders; (2) enhance address verification tactics by providing local law enforcement with GPS units to validate address information provided by sex offenders; (3) employ three temporary grant positions to assist in ensuring that all data as required by SORNA is contained in each registered sex offender's record using the current sex offender management software, that all sex offender data entry operators are properly NCIC certified, and that all fingerprints and palm prints are entered into AFIS; (4) develop and implement training for law enforcement personnel responsible for sex offender activities; and (5) develop and implement processes and procedures for the monthly reporting of "grantee data" as required by SMART Office. ca/ncf