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Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Introduces New, Free Family Safety Mobile App to Protect Children from Sexual Predators

04/05/2022

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Cherokee County Sheriff Partners with the OffenderWatch App to Inform Parents on Registered Sex Offenders

COLUMBUS, KS-Over 80 percent of Americans live within one mile of a registered sex offender, and online harassment and abuse continues to increase. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is excited to announce a new partnership that will help enable parents to keep their kids safer from sex offenders in their virtual neighborhood, as well as their physical one. The sheriff's office today announced it has partnered with OffenderWatch, the nation's leading sex offender registry partner, to offer a new, free family safety mobile app.

Through the partnership, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is now offering the OffenderWatch App, free for download on both Android and iPhone smartphone devices. After downloading the app, citizens will be able to see registered sex offenders located near them or their family members. They will also receive free alerts when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood. Also found on the app, parents will find online safety information and tips for how to talk to children about sex offenders.

"Our office is excited to partner with OffenderWatch so we can provide this new service to our community," stated Sheriff David Groves in announcing the program.  "This app will help parents protect their families by providing real-time information about registered sex offenders, wherever their children may be," continued Sheriff Groves.

According to the Crimes Against Children Research Center, one in five teens have reported receiving an unwanted sexual solicitation online.  In 2021, most of the more than 29 million tips reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children dealt with child sexual abuse images, online enticement, including "sextortion," child sex trafficking, and child sexual molestation.

Online safety has been a challenge for both law enforcement and technology companies for years- but now the OffenderWatch App is helping to bridge the gap.

Once families download the app and explore the free features, including real time location of family members and proximity to publicly registered sex offenders' homes, they will have the option to choose to upgrade the app to a paid version, which includes more features. In the "Protect Plus" version of the OffenderWatch App, the app will monitor a child's texts, emails, location and phone calls. The app then sends an immediate alert to parents if a registered sex offender contacts the child, or if the child lingers near the address of a sex offender. 

"There are many reasons I wanted to bring this program to Cherokee County.  First, the reality of online predators targeting kids who live in our community, is very real.  Second, I like parents having another tool to help keep their families safe, especially with it not costing them anything, unless they choose to upgrade to an affordable paid version at less than $10.00 per year, which covers the companies costs.  Finally, with  safety and privacy both being incredibly important, I like that this program allows parents to see their children's location, but OffenderWatch keeps that information private from law enforcement," Sheriff Groves continued. 

          "Our mission is to help law enforcement better protect communities from sexual predators, so we are constantly innovating to offer new solutions for both our virtual and physical worlds," said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of Mandeville-based OffenderWatch. "As predators continue to groom and solicit children online, we're helping law enforcement and families combat these efforts before it becomes a tragedy. If the OffenderWatch App helps to save one child from abuse, it's worth it."

How the OffenderWatch App Works

  • Parents who sign up for the OffenderWatch App download the app on their own smartphone and their child's Android or iPhone device.
  • In the free version of the app, parents can see their child's location and the location of registered sex offenders.
  • Parents will receive notifications if a sex offender moves into their neighborhood.
  • For the paid version, the app also monitors the child's smartphone texts, emails, location and phone calls in the background, without storing the child's messages or interfering with its use.
  • If a registered sex offender contacts the child, or if the child the child lingers near the address of a sex offender, the parent or guardian receives an instant notification.
  • From there, parents should ask their children about their smartphone activity or contact law enforcement to investigate.

Parents and guardians can download the app or learn more at our website www.cherokeecountykssheriff.com or at OffenderWatch.com

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ABOUT OFFENDERWATCH

There are over 850,000 registered sex offenders in the United States.

Many states have different systems for registering and tracking these offenders, making it difficult for agencies to track offender relocations across state lines, share electronic offender records, and collaborate on investigations. OffenderWatch works with law enforcement agencies to provide national network of registries and notification tools to easily communicate information to the public. Founded in 2000 in Covington, La. under the Watch Systems company, OffenderWatch provides a variety of services to sheriffs' offices, police departments, Attorney's General offices, U.S. Marshal judicial districts, U.S. attorneys, federal and state probation and parole agents, departments of corrections, Indian tribes, and more. OffenderWatch partnered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada to deliver the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry. OffenderWatch is also a part of the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC), an initiative of nonprofit Zandoli USA, to implement sex offender registries across the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In 2019, OffenderWatch launched a new, patented technology, the OffenderWatch App. The mobile app locates registered sex offenders near parents and their kids and identifies online contact from registered sex offenders through a kid's electronic device or if their device lingers near an offender's residence, instantly alerting parents to the communication. Learn more at OffenderWatch.com or on Facebook @OffenderWatch. 

MEDIA CONTACTS

  • Sheriff David M. Groves, 620-429-3992
  • For OffenderWatch: Erin Heltz, pr@offenderwatch.com, 985-956-0297
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