Senator Farley Reminds Constituents of Facebook App That Tracks Sex Offenders

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) has both a regular website and a Facebook page where locations of local sex offenders can be obtained, said State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C, I - Schenectady).

The Sex Offender Locator application, which is accessible via the New York State Public Safety Facebook page, makes it easier for parents who want to quickly look up information regarding Level 2 and Level 3 Sex Offenders within their immediate area.

"As both parents and children become more reliant on social networking sites and the Internet in general, it is great to see New York State once again leading the way in providing innovative ways for people to keep their families safe and free from harm," said Senator Farley. "The more we educate the public and keep them informed, the better off our communities will be."

This new app, located at https://www.facebook.com/NYSPublicSafety, will allow users to search for Level 2 and Level 3 Sex Offenders by last name, county or zip code. When searching by county or zip code, results will include individuals who have used aliases or different spellings of their name to circumvent New York State laws. After an individual is selected, their picture, location and criminal history will be given to the interested party.

Facebook users also can share the application to their own pages and encourage their friends to do the same.

The Sex Offender Locator application was launched as a complement to the NY-Alert system currently run by New York State. Located at http://www.nyalert.gov/, the NY-Alert system allows individuals to receive an e-mail alert whenever there is activity regarding relocation or new criminal activity of a Sex Offender within a certain radius around their house or other designated point.

"The legislature has fought to keep our children safe from Sex Offenders and the continued activities by State and local law enforcement have potentially life saving measures. I look forward to increased use of these online resources and will continue to remind parents of the tools at their disposal to keep children safe at all times," concluded Senator Farley.