Yuba County residents can find local sex offenders on the Internet.

OffenderWatch brings the Yuba County sex offender registry to the sheriff’s Web site. Residents can now enter their address and find any registered offender within a mile of their homes. Additionally, they can sign up for e-mail updates about additional sex offenders who move into the neighborhood.

Sheriff Steve Durfor believes this will be an important tool to keep the county aware of where sex offenders are living in relation to their homes and places their children could be going.

“We take a very aggressive stance toward our offenders,” Durfor said.

OffenderWatch draws its data from various public sources that is regularly updated, according to the Web site.

Throughout the site are many warnings telling users that the site is not to be used for anything more than keeping them informed about people in the area. If it’s used for unlawful reasons such as harassment, the user can be prosecuted.

Funds for the site came from the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Grant through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. It’s part of a 13-county effort in Northern California to get law enforcement agencies collaborating to keep track of sexual offenders.

Read more: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/site-51590-offenders-sex.html#ixzz1sGoxOzCf