Sheriff's Dept. Urges Use Of 'Offender Watch' Tool Before Halloween

HAMILTON COUNTY, IN — The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says it's important to know which area houses children should stay away from during trick-or-treating and other festivities. According to a release from the sheriff's office, there are some 136 registered sex offenders in this area, along with nearly 69 more who travel to the county to work. The Sheriff’s Office, which is charged with maintaining the Sex and Violent Offender Registry, said they want the public to know where these offenders reside, so you can avoid those houses when trick-or-treating.

"We make every effort to ensure sex offenders live and work where they tell us," Hamilton County Sheriff Mark Bowen said, in a release. "We have officers who regularly check on offenders to make sure they are following the rules and guidelines of the registry. It’s important for our area residents to visit our website to see who the registered offenders are and where they live and work.”

Patch recently put together online sex offender maps and information for Carmel, Fishers, Indianapolis, Noblesville, Zionsville and other areas based off this information to give your family an early heads up as Halloween festivities begin.

RELATED: 2017 Sex Offender Numbers In Indy, Noblesville & Zionsville

Carmel 2017 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

City Of Fishers 2017 Halloween Sex Offender Safety Map

Patch and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Dept. encourage you to look and learn where these offenders reside, and to do the same if you're trick-or-treating in a different area or visiting any time of year.

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According to Sheriff Bowen, “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives or works.”

According to the dept., the Offender Watch website also allows people the ability to sign up for free, immediate automatic e-mail notifications if an offender moves within a specified radius of any registered address.

The Offender Watch website for Hamilton County can be found at sheriffalerts.com or hamiltoncounty.in.gov.sheriff.

Photo credit: Patch archive