Region home to 34 registered sex offenders

REGIONAL – The number of registered sex offenders that call the greater Shelby County area their home has increased in the past three years, according to Iowa’s state sex offender registry.
    Shelby County and areas surrounding the county have 34 registered sex offenders as of this month, as opposed to summer, 2016 when there were 26 registered sex offenders listed in the area.  Some offenders are new to the area while others remain on the list from previous years, or have changed location.
    This is the eighth year that a newly-designed Sex Offender Registry database and website, www.iowasexoffender.com, has been available for the public.  It is operated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation.
    Among the information on the site:
    •  Continued email notification to subscribers.
    •  Offender photos and conviction information.
    •  Information regarding registered offenders subject to exclusionary zones, residence restrictions and employment restrictions.
    •  Resources for parents and guardians on how to prevent abuse.
    •  Resources for victims.
    •  Advanced mapping functions identifying schools and where groups of offenders reside.
    Sheriff offices across Iowa, including Shelby County, are responsible for providing the information for the website, including registering and monitoring more than 5,000 sex offenders statewide.
    The website averages more than one million page views each month.