How to Know if There's a Registered Sex Offender in Your Neighborhood

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Go to the US Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website.

   You can find the website at www.nsopw.gov/en-US.
   
   Every sex offender is required to register with the US Department of Justice, and this website is a database of every registered sex offender in the US.
2. 2

   Step 2: Locate the National Sex Offender Quick Search box and click "Search by location."

   You'll see the link on the right column of the website. , Read the conditions of use, which warns against using the information you glean from the website to threaten or intimidate anyone.
   
   If you agree to the conditions (which you must do in order to gain access to the site), check the box marked "I agree and acknowledge the terms of NSOPW." You can read your state or territory's individual conditions of use by finding it on the list of states and territories under the general conditions of use. , This will take you to the search page. , You have several choices available:
   You can choose the "Search by address radius" option to see a list of sex offenders in your neighborhood.
   
   Just enter your address and the radius you want to see.
   
   Only the states that have provided geographic coordinates to NSOPW are included in this search.
   
   If you don't see yours, you can use a different website.
   
   If you want to search an individual person's name, you can enter his or her first and last name and press "search." You can also do an advanced search for an individual by entering the first and last name as well as the address.
3. 3

   Step 3: Agree to the conditions of use.

4. 4

   Step 4: Enter the code in the box and press "continue."

5. 5

   Step 5: Decide how you want to search for registered sex offenders.

Detailed Guide

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