Officials for a new federally-funded program announced earlier this month that the program has come to Arkansas to help community members report non-compliant sex offenders in their area, meaning safer communities for children and young adults.

With the help of funding from the U.S. Justice Department, Parents For Megan’s Law and the Crime Victim Center announced June 8 the expansion of their Sex Offender Registration Tips (SORT) program to include communities in Arkansas.

According to a study by parentsformeganslaw.org, more than 100,000 sex offenders nationally are not properly registered.

The agency is now providing parents and community members across Arkansas two interactive resources, the agency Megan’s Law Helpine, (888) ASK-PFML, and their website (www.parentsformeganslaw.org) to report registered sex offenders who are believed to be out of compliance with; registration requirements, employment restrictions, conditions of probation or parole or who are in positions of trust where they access potential child victims.

SORT tips have resulted in the identification of out-of-compliance registered sex offenders, sex offenders working in positions of trust with children and, they have provided law enforcement agencies with information which has facilitated the successful conclusion of criminal investigations, according to a release from PFML and the CVC.