In July, a new law goes into effect that will make it easier for parents to identify sex offenders.
State lawmakers last session dropped the requirement that a person must have the Social Security number of a sex offender to get information from the state Department of Law enforcement. After July 1, they need only to have the person's name, address or birth-date.Currently, 1,543 sex offenders are registered in Idaho.
The agency's criminal identification operations officer, Lonnie Gray, said his office receives about 180 written requests for sex offender information each month.
Idaho law prevents the distribution of full or partial lists of sex offenders. The department will respond to requests for background information about specifically named individuals.
"The information you receive is the name, alias and the crime the person was convicted of," said Ann Thompson, agency representative.
When the new law goes into effect, those requesting sex offender registration information will need first and last names, addresses or date of birth. Knowing the person's middle name is desirable but not necessary, Thompson said.
To avoid misidentification, inquiries should include as much distinguishing information about the person as possible, Gray said, especially if it's a common name.
Dropping the Social Security requirement should simplify matters, according to Deputy Attorney General Bill Von Tagen.
"We've received telephone calls where the callers ask how the heck are we supposed to know someone's Social Security number?" Von Tagen said. "That's a good question, since they're supposed to be confidential."
The new Idaho law doesn't go as far as Louisiana's, which requires sex offenders' pictures to be published in local newspapers classified sections.
In Virginia, the state has made available statewide lists of registered sex offenders for $35 and localized lists for $8, Von Tagen said.
Thompson said Idahoans interested in checking the records should contact the state instead of local law enforcement sources.
Developing a better central state checking point will be part of Attorney General Alan Lance's legislation package for the 1998 session, Von Tagen said.
"You look at this at first blush and it looks like it would be a fairly simple problem to solve, but there are some complexities, and we want to do it right," he said.
Von Tagen said Idaho wants to provide better public access to the records to avoid being perceived as a state with the relaxed sex offender notification laws. After release, offenders sometimes move to states with less restrictive sex offender laws, he said.