TopTenREVIEWS

Ohio reaches out to the community from its Sex Offender Registry site with a message from the Attorney General. The Ohio site includes the essential elements including safety information for the public and email notifications. It has an integrated, interactive map: you may easily navigate between maps and profiles. Its shortcoming is in the navigation and limited use of Tier I, II, and III identifiers.

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Information Provided:

Ohio provides a standard physical description including scars and tattoos. The offense statute and name is listed along with victim information if the victim was an adult or a child and the sex of the victim. The profile identifies Tier I, Tier II and Tier III level offenders. Sex offender locations can be mapped from the profile.

Search Functions:

Two types of searches are available: by offender information and mapping offenders within a radius from an address of concern. Search results list includes name, home address, city, zip and non-compliant status. Link to complete profile. Alternately, you may search and map offenders within a specified geographic radius. Results link to the complete profile.

Additional Site Features:

This site publishes information on the Ohio laws regarding the offender registry and an array of safety information and links to other organizations.

Ease of Use:

Integration between profiles and maps is seamless. The map is easy to use but large for the screen making navigation more difficult than smaller maps on other sites. Tier labels are included in the profile, but would be useful on the search results page, and better yet, as search criteria. Instructions for use are clear and useful.

Contact Information:

Contact by telephone or email. Ohio offers a separate link to report technical problems.

Summary:

Ohio has the essential elements in place offering an informative service to its public. Ohio offers a search by school district, includes the location of schools when mapping, but does not include school addresses in the profiles. Expanded use of the Tier I, Tier II and Tier III offense labels in searches and results would make this site a more useful tool for increasing community safety. Ohio goes beyond lower ranked states, but must expand the use of information to rank with the top.