Louisiana Modernizes Sex-Crime Registry
by Jeff Adelson - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Law enforcement officers and residents throughout Louisiana soon will have a new tool to track sex offenders, replacing an outdated system that relies on dozens of departments to monitor them throughout the state.

Louisiana State Police at the end of the month will unveil a new database designed to provide instantly updated information culled from their records, those of the Department of Corrections and from every sheriff in the state. The system, which enters a testing phase next week, will allow residents to more reliably identify offenders living in their neighborhoods and allow residents to be notified when one moves nearby. It also will provide law enforcement with detailed information about the offenders, including their address, vehicles and fingerprints.

It's a tool authorities say will help keep residents informed and help eliminate problems and inefficiencies of a system that is now based on nearly 70 individually maintained databases.

"I'm not just the head of State Police, " Col. Michael Edmonson said. "I've got four kids, I'm a parent and I'm very interested in knowing where sex offenders live."