New resource tracks sex offenders

18 Jul 2005

By Amy Nielson Daily Universe Staff Reporter -

A new, locally produced Web site allows citizens easy access to addresses of convicted sex offenders who have been released from prison.
Orbizon, a Web development company that has been in business for three years, created the new site, www.mapsexoffenders.com. The site provides information about sex offenders, including their name, address and a picture of the individual.
Mark Olsen, account manager for Orbizon, said currently information about sex offenders obtained through the state correctional facilities Web site is not mapped in an easy-to-use way.
“We’re hoping to make [information] more accessible to the people,” he said. “We’re not providing information to the public, that is the state’s job.”
Some local residents feel the Orbizon site will be beneficial to the community, while others worry about the added publicity.
“This information would be good for someone planning to buy a house, they would want to make sure they were living in a good neighborhood,” said Laurie Castillo, an Orem resident.
Castillo said people are too trusting. Another Orem resident, Joane Quilter, agreed.
“People feel safe in their neighborhoods, even if they are not,” she said.
But Joane’s husband, Evan, said there is always another side to the story.
“While it may benefit citizens, a lot of caution should be exercised,” he said. “I know people who have had problems and turned their lives around.”
Quilter said people need to be protected, but citizens should use the site with good judgment.
“Sometimes it turns into a witch hunt where no one is allowed to recover and they are marked for life,” he said.
Sex offender registration and community notification are required under Megan’s Law. The law was named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed in 1994 by a child molester that lived across the street from her home. In 1996, President Clinton signed Megan’s Law.
The site currently has information about sex offenders in Utah and Delaware. Within two months the company plans to have information for all 50 states.