Monday, Aug. 15, 2005 | 11:32 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Nevada has been included in a National Sex Offender Public Registry to allow the sharing of sex offender information across the nation, Gov. Kenny Guinn said today.
It will allow law enforcement and the public information about sex offenders in 20 states.
There are 4,716 registered sex offenders in Nevada and more than 500,000 registered sex offenders nationwide.
Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, who successfully pushed for a bill to tighten the law on sex offenders this year, said this was a pilot project of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The governor's announcement was the first public disclosure of the link with other states. Titus said the linkage occurred several months ago. She said this was a "small step" but a good one to help keep track of sex offenders, registered in the 19 other states.
Titus, a candidate for governor, said she has already requested a bill prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of an elementary school or childcare center. She also will advocate requiring the more serious sex offenders who are released from prison to wear ankle bracelets to keep better track of them.
And she wants to require that a sex offender, released from prison, go into civil commitment at a hospital to make sure the individual is ready to be released without endangering the public.
Guinn said this new hookup provides accurate information and gives "citizens immediate access to public sex offender records nationwide, helping us to ensure the safety of our children by reducing and preventing sex crimes and violence across America."
Under the program the U.S. Justice Department has provided Nevada with a new state-of-the-art computer server that will improve the current system.
The governor praised George Togliatti, the state's director of public safety, for working with legislators to secure approval of the bill that was sponsored by Titus.
Guinn said, "This important piece of legislation adds many new safeguards to Nevada's sex offender registry program and makes improvements to our public information Web site."
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