Changes and Improvements for National Sex Offender Website‏

Changes Announced Near the 5-year Anniversary of Dru Sjodin Disappearance.

Visit www.nsopw.gov to learn more

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The U.S. Department of Justice today announced improvements to the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Web site (NSOPW) and a new internet domain name, www.nsopw.gov. The new Web address will replace www.nsopr.gov.

The updated version has a new look, is more user-friendly and provides enhanced search capabilities to locate sex offenders. NSOPW is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).

"NSOPW provides the public with information to protect themselves, their families and their communities from coming into contact with registered sex offenders," said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Assistant Attorney General for OJP.

NSOPW allows jurisdictions to participate in an unprecedented public safety resource by sharing public sex-offender data nationwide. It is the only government system in existence that links to public, state, territory and tribal sex-offender registries from one national search site. With a single query, NSOPW currently searches sex offender registries in up to 50 states, two U.S. territories and the District of Columbia to deliver matched results based on name, state, county, city or ZIP code. NSOPW will soon link to newly established sex offender registries, including certain Native American Tribes and additional U.S. territories.

Since its launch in the summer of 2005, there have been more than 17 million NSOPW user sessions, with 2.3 billion hits. Today, NSOPW remains extremely active, averaging 2.3 million hits per day and 14,000 daily users. Additional information can be found at www.ojp.gov/smart.

The Web site, initially known as the National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR), was established in 2005 and renamed in 2006 by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act to honor 22-year-old college student Dru Sjodin of Grand Forks, N. D. Sjodin was kidnapped and murdered on November 22nd 2003, by a sex offender who crossed state lines to commit his crime.

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.

OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at ojp.gov.

Information regarding the Oregon State Police Sex Offender Website is available at oregon.gov/OSP/SOR/index.shtml. The Oregon State Police currently operates and maintains a reporting database for the State's registered sex offenders. A list of offenders, both on and off supervision, can be obtained by calling the Oregon State Police at 503-378-3725 Extension 44429, or by email request at Sexoffender.Questions@state.or.us. You will need to leave your name, mailing address, and the city, zip code information you want.