New Jersey sEX offenders Search

State Sex Offender Search: New Jersey

Each state offers an online registry pertaining to registered sex offenders. Interestingly, each state designs a site that is unique unto itself. New Jersey�s site is a busy one. Far from simple, this website is filled with links to information, articles, registries, etc�Although it is not the simplest state registry to search, it is full of important information for researchers in this area.

As each state is mandated by federal law to make its registries of sex offenders available to the public�New Jersey goes well beyond the call. In the name of public safety and awareness, the New Jersey site lists a wide array of links on its home page. Initially, the main page looks busy; it is a busy page, but after carefully sifting through the text and images, researchers will be able to pinpoint exactly what they need.

New Jersey�s site is maintained by the New Jersey State Police. The body of the main page is filled with links to various articles�the links are dated and organized chronologically. Many of these articles may be relevant for researchers, but to perform and online search for registered sex offenders, look to the top right hand side of the main page. Scroll down just a bit and you will see four links: NJ�s Twelve Most Wanted, Missing Persons, Unidentified Persons / Bodies, and finally, NJ�s Sex Offender Registry.

Once you click on the link, you will be directed to another page fraught with text. An introduction to the online registry as well as information about Megan�s Law are contained herein. Researchers will also see warnings�the information obtained from the site may not be used to harass or harm the registered offenders. Researchers must also agree to the terms before they can be directed to perform a search.

Finally, once a researcher agrees to the terms, the site gets down to business and offers streamlined search methods. Researchers may click on the following to locate the records they require: geographic search, individual search, advanced search, vehicle search, recently published (newly added offenders), statistics, and fugitives. All and all, a comprehensive site offering various ways to locate public information.

To perform a sample search, click on �geographic search.� At this point, you will be directed to a page where you may search by county or zip code. There is a drop down menu to search by New Jersey county, but researchers will have to fill in a known NJ zip code to search by city or town. As an example, choose a county from the drop down menu and click the submit button. You will be directed to a page whereby you can click to search the entire county or a town within the county; at this point, there is a drop down menu listing each locality within the county.

If you choose a town, you will be requested to make a choice�search the whole town or search a specific street. Whether you search the whole country or continue to narrow down your search, you will eventually come to a listing of registered sex offenders for the area you chose to search. Organized in columns of information, this main listing offers the sex offender names, addresses, DOBs, height, weight, race and hair color. In most states such physical descriptions are saved for the specific records themselves, but again, each state sets up their information differently.

As a sample, click on a specific name to get into a record. Specific records offer considerably detailed information. Again, you will find physical descriptions as well as a photo. You will also learn what tier the offender considered�each state organizes its offenders by tiers or levels pertaining to risk and danger. Additionally, the detailed record provides information about aliases, distinguishing marks or tattoos and offenses.

While some states list offenses by code (meaning the researcher has to search somewhere else to find out what crime the code stands for), New Jersey lists the offense in plain English and goes a step further�it gives specifics. For instance, rather than simply list �assault and battery,� the site offers an explanation�who was assaulted (boy / girl and other circumstances regarding the offense.)

New Jersey does a thorough job disseminating information about the state�s registered sex offenders. A vast array of information, it is nevertheless, a navigable site that researchers will find useful and well-organized.