Peru launches new sex offender tracking website for residents

The Peru Police Department utilizes Offender Watch now to manage and monitor the whereabouts, conduct and compliance status of the registered offenders in our city.

—  Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond

The Peru Police Department announced the launch of a new website for residents and officers to track sex offenders in the area.

The Offender Watch program is the nation’s leading sex offender management and community notification tool with dozens of states and hundreds of agencies utilizing it, according to its website. The service is free and confidential.

The idea to bring the Offender Watch program to Peru was created and researched by Community Service Officer Blake Frund. Police Chief Sarah Raymond said it’s a great program for the community, both for officers and residents.

“The Peru Police Department utilizes Offender Watch now to manage and monitor the whereabouts, conduct and compliance status of the registered offenders in our city,” Raymond said.

Peru’s Offender Watch website is updated multiple times daily with new information. Residents can enter any address in La Salle County and see updated information on any Peru offenders within a radius of the entered address.

Because offenders move frequently, Raymond said the best way to stay informed is to use the email alert system. Residents can register unlimited addresses and the system will send an email if an offender moves within the radius of a saved address.

Raymond said it also helps officers keep track of offenders. Officers can be assigned an offender to monitor and the program sends out an alert when it’s time for a verification check, which the department does multiple times a year.

The site only tracks Peru sex offenders located throughout the county. Frund said not all cities are signed up for the program, so not all offenders registered with other police departments will appear in the search.

The website is available on the city’s website or by going to https://www.communitynotification.com/cap_main.php?office=56958