LaFAYETTE, Ga. - Sgt. Mason Brewer says his job to register all sex offenders in Walker County is easier now that he has the software to track and find predators.
"It is a complete system that is ready to go," Sgt. Brewer said. "There's a lot of information that we're able to collect and store."
The Walker County Sheriff's Office began a pilot study with the Offender Watch program in March 2009. After six months, the office signed a one-year contract and began using the system to track registered sex offenders.
Now officials with Watch Systems, the Louisiana-based company that runs the program, say they would like to operate the entire state's database.
"We're in 40 different states across the country," said Joey Gauphier, a Watch Systems state account executive. "Eleven of those states partner with Offender Watch for their statewide work."
Watch Systems is in the "infant stages" of working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to set up the program to monitor offenders throughout the state, Mr. Gauphier said.
About 14,000 sex offenders live in Georgia, and roughly 60 percent of those are in the Offender Watch database managed by local sheriffs' offices, Mr. Gauphier said.
He said one reason for the program's success in Georgia is that the county databases are linked. On average, offenders move four to five times a year, and linking departments helps keep track of their movements, Mr. Gauphier said.
Sgt. Brewer said the program will let him know if someone is registered as a sex offender anywhere in Georgia.
Walker County now has the only area sheriff's office using the program, and the department was able to get help to afford the expensive software, Sheriff Steve Wilson said.
"We applied for federal funding under the Recovery Act, and that's how we're paying for the software," Sheriff Wilson said. "We've budgeted for three years to pay for the software with grants."
After the three years, the department will budget the money to run the software - about $3,000 a year - because system is too valuable to lose, he said.
Not only does the database make it easy for law enforcers to search for vehicles of offenders or other information, residents easily can find out if an offender moves into their neighborhood, Sheriff Wilson said.
"If someone moves in the area, (Offender Watch) can send them an e-mail alert," he said.