There are several resources that provide information about registered offenders in our community:
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Website www.nsopw.gov
The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) is a public safety resource that provides access to sex offender data nationwide. NSOPW is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and state, territorial, and tribal governments, working together for the safety of adults and children. In addition, the Website provides visitors with information about sexual abuse and how to protect themselves and loved ones from potential victimization.
Predatory Offender Registration
In 1991, the Minnesota Legislature enacted the first version of Minnesota’s registration law and established the Sex Offender Registration Unit (SOR) at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). During the next several years, the registration statute underwent significant changes and continued to broaden the types of offenses that require registration. On August 1, 2000, another version of the registration law was enacted and the name of the unit was changed to Predatory Offender Registration (POR) to more accurately reflect the offenses that trigger registration.
There are numerous offenses that require registration, from murder and kidnapping to criminal sexual conduct. The BCA provides a database of non-compliant predatory offenders. Go to www.por.state.mn.us and click on Offender Search.
Minnesota’s Community Notification Act
The Community Notification Act requires a risk level be assigned to offenders who are considered to be predatory offenders. Pending release from prison, offenders are assigned a Risk Level (1, 2, or 3) and are required to register their address with local law enforcement agencies. Level 3 is considered the highest risk to re-offend. If a Level 3 offender moves into your neighborhood, you will be notified by law enforcement.
The Department of Corrections maintains the state-wide database. You can search that database by clicking on www.doc.state.mn.us, then go the Community Notification page. Searches can be performed city-wide, as well as by zip code. Results will show the locations of registered sex offenders.
The individuals who appear in this database are not wanted by the police at this time and have served the sentence imposed on them by the court. These notifications are not intended to increase fear in the community. It is the belief of law enforcement that an informed public is a safer public.
Convicted sex offenders have always been released to live in our communities, but it was not until passage of the Registration Act that law enforcement had an ability to know the residence, or track their moves after their initial release. Since the passage of the Community Notification Act law enforcement may share information about many of these offenders with the public. Abuse of this information to threaten, harass, or intimidate registered offenders may be a crime, and will not be tolerated. Such abuses could potentially end the ability of law enforcement to do these notifications. The only person who wins if community notification ends is the sex offender since many of these offenders derive their power from the opportunity that secrecy provides them.
As part of the notification process, the Minneapolis Police Department distributes flyers to persons living within a several block radius of Level III Sex Offenders, and provides copies to the neighborhood association. If you would like to receive copies of notification flyers, please contact .
Additionally, the Minneapolis Police Department has detailed information about the process they follow for Sex Offender Community Notifications: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/about/investigations/police_crime-prevention_sex-offender
Family Watchdog (www.familywatchdog.us)
Family Watchdog is a free website that shows detailed maps of where registered sex offenders live and provides free notifications for when registered offenders move in/out of a selected notification area. They also distribute monthly newsletters with safety information.