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Ever since the news of UND student Dru Sjodin’s kidnapping and murder rocked the community of Grand Forks, N.D., legislation has been in the works to create a national sex offender database.
The database was officially launched Oct. 5.
Dru’s Law is part of the larger Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which cracks down on sex offenders.
This Act will increase the frequency that sex offenders have to update information on where they live, work and attend school, as well as adding a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for not registering.
“ Starting today, parents have a critical, new tool in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Web site to keep their kids safe,” North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy said in a statement. “Parents and communities will now know if there is a dangerous predator living just around the corner or across the state line.”
Currently, the national sex offender database is only accessible to law enforcement, according to Sen. Byron Dorgan’s office.
Many states and communities have similar databases, but the databases do not provide information about offenders across state lines.
“ The passage of Dru’s Law is a major step forward in the fight to protect our children from sexual predators,” Dorgan said. “The lasting tribute to Dru’s memory will be the lives saved by this national sex offender registry.”
Also part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act are requirements to inform communities when a sex offender moves in.
It also requires sex offenders to verify their information every three, six and 12 months, depending on the severity of the offense.
In addition, the new law requires sex offenders to remain on the registry for at least 15 years, 25 years or for life, depending on the severity of their crime.
North Dakota lawmakers are also pushing to strengthen sex offender laws.
Gov. John Hoeven and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem recently proposed legislation that would require first-time sex offenders who commit violent sexual crimes to spend 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised probation.
“ We need to make sure that anyone who commits a violent sexual crime in North Dakota receives a sentence that fits the crime and protects the public,” Hoeven said in a statement.
The proposed legislation would also require government employees who deal with security matters or vulnerable people to undergo thorough background checks.
The background check would involve fingerprints and nationwide criminal history searches.