LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) launched the new online Centralized Electronic Network of Sex Offender Registries (CENSOR) system today that allows local law enforcement officers and the Department of Corrections to electronically register sex offenders. Officers can also conduct the sex offender’s scheduled verifications or change information through the new online system. The new CENSOR system was developed with a federal grant that also equips local law enforcement agencies with an electronic signature pad and web camera.
The CENSOR system generates the registration forms automatically from the information entered by the registering official so there are no paper forms to fax or mail to ACIC. This drastically cuts down on the time it takes to register a sex offender and reduces the amount of paper that is handled by law enforcement officers and the ACIC staff. Since the sex offender registrations can now be submitted electronically to the ACIC system, the assessment process can start immediately.
“This new system gives us a sex-offender registration process that is faster and safer, and saves our taxpayers money," Governor Mike Beebe said. “Along with notifying the public sooner, the system also increases accountability for offenders, giving law-enforcement agencies more confidence in tracking those who are living in their communities.”
“ACIC is extremely pleased and excited to roll out the new CENSOR system that will help us manage over 8,200 active sex offenders registered in Arkansas. This system will save the state approximately $55,000 by eliminating the notices sent to offenders via certified mail every six months,” said Brad Cazort of the Arkansas Crime Information Center.
The CENSOR system provides up-to-date information about the offender and is quick and easy to use. Law enforcement officers simply enter the offender’s demographic information to start the registration process. Once all of the offender’s information is entered into CENSOR, the officer is prompted to capture the offender’s photo via a web camera. For each subsequent visit, a current photo is displayed to the officer and a new photo is captured. These photos are also posted to the ACIC Sex Offender Registry for public viewing so there is always a current photo on file.
“ACIC has been able to achieve this remarkable advancement in the management of our state’s sex offender registry due in large part to our partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas (INA) and their understanding that one of our primary objectives and goals is to provide technology and tools to make the jobs of law enforcement easier,” said Danny Ormand, ACIC Director.
In order to hold sex offenders more accountable, the CENSOR system automatically prepares the official documents for the officer and the offender to sign electronically via a signature pad. Offenders are provided with the signed documents with the date they are required to report back to the law enforcement office for their next verification visit.
About Arkansas.gov
Arkansas.gov is the official website of the state of Arkansas (http://www.arkansas.gov) and a service of the Information Network of Arkansas. The Information Network of Arkansas is a collaborative effort between the state of Arkansas and Arkansas Information Consortium that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Arkansas Information Consortium is a Little Rock-based subsidiary of the eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).
About NIC
NIC is the nation’s leading provider of official government websites, 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 across the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.