The Sheriff's office of Lee County is offering a Web site that lists all registered sex offenders in the Lee County area.
The Web site is available to all citizens, and it allows them to see all registered offenders living within two miles of any physical address.
The site is updated daily, making it as accurate as possible. All sexual offenders are required by law to register with the Sheriff's office every six months, and Capt. James Major said the Lee County office does spot checks every few weeks.
"It is just an extra thing we do," he said.
The Web site offers e-mail alerts for users that allow them to get instant updates.
Major said that when citizens sign up for the e-mail updates, they will be able to know as soon as a new offender becomes registered in this location.
The email alerts also provide citizens with public service announcements about crime stoppers, wanted persons, rapes, or anything else the public should know. It constantly changes, Majors said.
"I subscribe to the e-mail alerts, and they give me just a little peace of mind," said Melissa Bussman, a senior in public relations.
The e-mail alerts also work both ways, in that citizens are able to alert the Sheriff's Office of any incorrect information on the sex offenders Web site, Majors said.
Some citizens are aware if an offender has moved before the officers are if they have not done their mandatory six-month check-in.
Another special feature of the Web site is the ability to track a particular offender.
With the offender tracker, users can track any offender with email alerts.
If a citizen knows one of the offenders personally or has had a run-in with one, they can choose to use the tracking feature to know each time the offender moves, Majors said.
The Web site gives full exposure of all registered sex offenders.
Users are not only able to see where the offenders live, but they can also see a photo, a full physical description, and all sex crimes they have been convicted for.
There are a few offenders whose crimes do not allow them to be viewed by the public.
Those who have been convicted for indecent exposure, sexual misconduct, and youthful offenders are available for other police agencies only.
Officers don't see these crimes as being as serious as some of the other sex crimes, Majors said.
They hope that those convicted of these crimes will not be re-offenders.
"For me it was scary at first to see that there were four sex offenders living near my home, but now I will definitely be more aware," Megan Reiber, a graduate student in speech pathology, said.
Majors said the Web site can be most helpful to parents who are thinking about letting their children sleep over at a new location.
It also allows parents to check out the safety of certain neighborhoods for trick-or-treating or walking to a local pool, he said.
"I think this a really important tool for women who have children," Reiber said. "I just wish there were some way to track the offenders 24/7."
In 2008, during the first moments after Lauren Burke's disappearance, the Web site was the first place officers went looking for suspects, Majors said.
Although her killer was not a registered sex offender, Majors said he is optimistic that the Web site will be used to save someone one day.
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