2017 SLED Support for Adam Walsh

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) (42 U.S.C. § 16909, et seq.; Pub. L. 113-235, 128 Stat. 2130, 2193) authorizes the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) to administer sex offender management grants. These grants assist states, the District of Columbia, U.S. principal territories 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 South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) proposes to use grant funding to employ a paralegal to assist the Sex Offender Registry Office (SOR) with legal administrative matters. During Fiscal Year 2016, the SOR Office conducted nearly 200 state equivalency reviews. These reviews are conducted when an individual with an out-of-state conviction moves to South Carolina and may be required to register. In addition to the equivalency reviews, the paralegal will also assist the SOR Office with revisions to the protocol manual. The manual provides guidance to sheriff’s offices regarding the procedures related to sex offender registration. This revision is expected to last more than a year. A paralegal has the legal training to ensure the revision is in compliance with SORNA requirements and South Carolina laws and regulations. SLED also intends to propose a number of amendments to South Carolina statutes in the coming years dealing with sex offender registration. These amendments are complicated and require legal training to research and draft properly.

A business analyst is also being requested to research the SORT program to develop detailed design documents, requirements documents, and general user’s guide. This position will also work with the SLED IT support staff to fully understand and document the system such as registration, public web site feeds, NCIC SORT interface, websites for local agencies, user’s basic processes and rules of the system.

SLED also proposes to continue to fund two trainer/auditors who will continue to provide consistent statewide training to ensure that all sheriff’s offices are aware of SORNA requirements. Under this proposal, these trainer/auditors will continue to assist local law enforcement with maintaining accurate records.

Two administrative positions will be tasked with solving protocol issues from local jurisdictions, troubleshooting input problems with SORT, entering NCIC transactions to the record, and assisting jurisdiction personnel with absconders and deportees. These positions will work closely with local law enforcement, the assets/databases available at the SLED Fusion Center, and the United States Marshals Service to assist with identifying absconders and providing intelligence and information in absconder investigations.
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