WV State Police Make New Online Resources Available to Citizens

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The West Virginia State Police has launched a new website designed to make information more accessible to the public, announce important notifications, and allow citizens to search and track registered sex offenders in their area. Find it at http://www.statepolice.wv.gov.

Information readily available on the site includes the most wanted criminals, latest alerts and other important announcements of public interest. Citizens can use the site to:

• Report crime
• Submit anonymous tips
• Request a criminal record check
• Search the sex offender registry

“This new website is a valuable resource for citizens throughout the state,” said Col. Jay Smithers, state police superintendent. “The enhanced features expand our ability to inform, educate and notify citizens of missing persons or dangerous situations.”

The new and improved online Sex Offender Registry enables users to search for public information about convicted sex offenders by last name, street name, city, county, email address or username. The search also provides a filter to limit the results by wanted sex offenders or sexually violent predators.

According to the state Sex Offender Registry Act, anyone convicted of a sex crime or an attempted sex crime is required to register with the State Police detachment in his or her county of residence. The offender must register their full name and aliases, home address, vehicles or motor home, email addresses or usernames and places of employment, among other information.

“The sex offender registry can be a critical tool for parents, teachers and child care providers to help protect our children from child predators,” Smithers said. “The registry can tell you whether a sex offender is next door, down the street or surfing online for victims.”

The new website was developed by the West Virginia State Police in partnership with WV.gov.

For more information about the West Virginia State Police visit http://www.statepolice.wv.gov.

About WV.gov

WV.gov is the official Web site of the state of West Virginia (http://www.wv.gov) and is the result of an innovative public-private partnership between the state and West Virginia Interactive. West Virginia Interactive works with state and local government agencies to build and manage interactive online services and is a subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).

About NIC

NIC Inc. is the nation's leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,000 federal, state, and local agencies across the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.