Polk County Sheriff’s Office: OffenderWatch, a sex offender mapping and alerting service aids citizens in avoiding dangerous homes.
In Polk County, there are approximately 172 registered sex offenders that are currently registered with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office as living in the county (this does not include the city of Livingston, Onalaska and Corrigan), and we want you to know where they reside so you can avoid those homes when trick-or-treating. “We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website www.polkcountyso.netand then click on the sex offender tab, to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living, “ says Sheriff Kenneth Hammack. Citizens are encouraged to check any address where they or their family spend time. Sheriff Kenneth Hammack says “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives.”
You will also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for FREE automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register. “If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a family or friend’s neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all of the addresses where your children spend a lot of time; for example friend’s, grandparent’s, or babysitter’s address” says Sheriff Kenneth Hammack. The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Kenneth Hammack says “The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up to date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly.”
The website for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is www.polkcountyso.net. Citizens should click on the tab “Sex Offenders” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive FREE e-mail alerts.
Sheriff Kenneth Hammack encourages everyone to have fun and safe Halloween. Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.
For further information, please call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 936-327-6810.
