NJ added to sex offenders mapping site

| 28 Sep 2011 | 02:56

    NEW JERSEY — Purchasing a new house and want to find out if a sex offender lives nearby? Mapping a safe route for the kids to walk to school? A web site, www.mapsexoffenders.com, that maps the location of registered sex offenders has just added New Jersey to its database, making it easier to answer those questions. Mark Olsen, spokesman for Orbizon, an Orem, Utah-based Web development company that created the site. said, ``If people are aware of potential predators living near them, they'll take steps to make sure their kids are protected.'' The company uses state databases like New Jersey's that store information about sex offenders, including addresses, photos, criminal history and vehicle information. People using the Web site enter their address and a map appears of the city or town showing a red bubble where registered sex offenders live. Click on the bubble and information from the state's sex offender internet registry pops up. In New Jersey and dozens of other states, sex offenders released from prison must register with police when moving into a community and residents are notified. Megan's Law, as the legislation is called, got its start in New Jersey after 7-year-old Megan Kanka was killed in 1994 by a sex offender who lived across the street. Although the information is already available to the public online, Olsen said the web site's layout and mapping capability make it more user-friendly.