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SCAN USA launches national sex offender alerts on PCs and mobile devices
US-wide service is free to the public, tracking sex offenders by zip code
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
May 27, 2005: SCAN USA Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp Holding Corporation has announced that the SCAN service has been expanded to alert the public of registered sex offender movement into their neighborhoods. The new predator alert feature of SCAN is available in California, Florida and Texas and will be phased in nationally over the next eight weeks. SCAN is a national alert service in US that allows local police and fire departments, public safety agencies, schools and hospitals to send emergency alerts and critical safety information to the PCs, mobile phones and PDA’s of neighbourhood residents who may be at risk.
SCAN is provided to both public safety agencies and citizens completely free of charge through corporate sponsorships. SBC Communications, Inc. and SCAN USA Corporation entered into a distribution agreement for the SCAN program.
In addition to the national predator tracking system, SCAN provides over fourteen different types of alerts including weather, traffic, health, environmental and Amber Alerts. Users register by zip code and choose which alerts they want to receive and where they should be sent – PCs, mobile devices, or fax. SCAN also provides a National Sex Offender Registry that can be queried by zip code for 49 states and DC. Oregon currently does not have a sex offender registry available on-line.
George Sharp, Chairman of Sharp Holding Corp. says SCAN was created to keep your family safe. “We provide a three step approach to personal safety; first, be aware, next take action, then continue to stay informed. In the case of sexual predators this means knowing if any now live in your neighborhood, taking steps to avoid them, then staying alert to any newly registered sex offenders moving close to you.” The public demand for this type of notification, along with physical tracking of sex offenders has led to legislation in Florida and now in the US Congress after multiple murders of young girls by released sex offenders.
SCAN notifies you when a state’s sex offender registry indicates that a predator is using an address in your neighborhood. “This is public information, but many don’t know where to look or rarely take the time to go through the volumes of information available in states’ online registries,” said Russ Krauss, Chief Operating Officer of SCAN USA. SCAN consistently monitors those data sources and provides updated information on a daily basis. “That does not mean you’ll be getting sex offender notices everyday; it means we’ll be watching the states’ registries for your area everyday and
alert you if there is a change,” Mr. Krauss added.
Don Clark, former FBI Special Agent-In-Charge, says “I strongly urge people to take advantage of this free program. The SCAN alert service is an essential tool to help identify registered sex offenders that may be living in your area now as well as those who may move nearby in the future. Even though we know how important it is to have this information, none of us have the time to research it daily. SCAN is the best way to stay informed.”
"Police officers and deputy sheriffs agree-you deserve to know when a sexual predator moves into your neighborhood. We hope everyone registers for SCAN (www.scanusa.com) to begin receiving these alerts," says Monty Holden, Executive Director of California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS).
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
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