Tift County Sheriff’s Office: OffenderWatch® a sex offender mapping and notification service aids citizens in avoiding dangerous homes.

There are approximately 63 registered sex offenders residing in Tift County and we want you to know where they reside so that you avoid those houses when trick-or-treating.

“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website insert website address, to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” says Tift Sheriff Gene Scarbrough. Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spend time. Sheriff Scarbrough says. “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives.”

You will also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for FREE automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register. “If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a family or friend’s neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all addresses where your children spend time; for example: friend’s, grandparent’s, or babysitter’s addresses” says Sheriff Scarbrough. The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Scarbrough says: “The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up-to-date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly”.

The website for the Tift County Sheriff’s Office is www.tiftsheriff.org. Citizens should click on the link “Search for Offenders in your area, and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood offenders. They may click "register” for email alerts to sign up to receive FREE e-mail alerts about nearby offenders.

Scarbrough encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.