Ohio Attorney General\u2019s information<\/i><\/p>\n
COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Buckeye State Sheriffs\u2019 Association today unveiled a new reverse lookup feature accessible through the Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification (eSORN) Database, which is maintained by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.<\/p>\n
Starting today, the\u00a0new\u00a0feature allows\u00a0anyone to input unfamiliar phone numbers, email addresses, social media screen names, and video game handles into the database to try to determine if they belong to a registered sex offender in Ohio.<\/p>\n
“In this age of technology, knowing which sex offenders live in your neighborhood isn’t always enough,” said Attorney General DeWine. \u00a0“Digital communication allows people to break geographical boundaries, and sexual predators can use this to their advantage to pose as peers and develop cyber friendships with unsuspecting children. The new reverse lookup feature is just another tool that parents can use to screen who their children are communicating with.”<\/p>\n
Registered sex offenders in Ohio are required by law to register their home address, work address, and vehicle information with their local sheriff’s office to be publicly accessible through the eSORN database. \u00a0Each of Ohio\u2019s 88 county sheriff offices input the information into the system. Supplemental information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, screen names, and handles are also required, but are not public.<\/p>\n
The reverse lookup feature now allows members of the public\u00a0to input phone numbers, email addresses and internet names\u00a0into the eSORN database and an alert will be displayed if the information is associated with a registered sex offender. While the reverse lookup feature will not publically identify the offender who registered the information, it will direct the individual to immediately contact the local sheriff\u2019s office or the Attorney General\u2019s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Each sheriff\u2019s office will decide the next step.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach local sheriff\u2019s office will take the information that is provided and determine what type of follow up investigation is needed,\u201d said Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer, the Buckeye State Sheriffs\u2019 Association SORN Committee Chairman.\u00a0 \u201cIf the information you enter does not come back to a registered sex offender, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the person behind the phone number, email, or social media name is harmless.\u00a0 Parents still need to be cautious about who their kids are talking to in general.\u201d<\/p>\n
“With nearly 18,000 registered sex offenders living in Ohio, we believe this is very a useful tool,” said Attorney General DeWine. \u00a0“Chances are you wouldn\u2019t let a stranger in your home. So, parents need to keep communicating with their kids about letting strangers \u2013 virtual ones \u2013 in their circle of friends.\u00a0 This is also a useful feature for adults as well to know who they are communicating with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Crimes Against Children Unit at the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s BCI assisted 73 law enforcement agencies last year in 125 cases involving crimes against children. The Unit assists local law enforcement in a variety of investigations including\u00a0child sexual abuse, child pornography, online enticement, and human trafficking.<\/p>\n
Ohio is one of only eight states that offers this new sex offender reverse lookup feature.<\/p>\n