Politics & Government

Prince George's, Montgomery Counties Awarded Thousands to Monitor Sex Offenders

Prince George's and Montgomery counties, along with 22 other Maryland jurisdictions, were awarded grant money to help monitor sex offenders.

Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties were awarded $95,802 and $40,940 respectively in grant money from the Sex Offender Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland (SOCEM) grant program.

The program has awarded more than $700,000 to 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City to help local law enforcement agencies monitor the state's 7,990 sex offenders. 

Prince George's received the third-largest amount and Montgomery County the fourth-largest of the 24 jurisdictions, following Baltimore City and Baltimore County. 

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The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention announced the grant, which will help local agencies monitor Maryland’s Sex Offender Registry

“There should be absolutely no mercy shown to anyone who harms a child in our state, and our laws impose the strictest standards of supervision to ensure that Maryland’s children are protected,” Governor Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “Our laws monitoring sex offenders provide law enforcement and the residents of our communities the information they need to keep our neighborhoods safe from predators.”

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According to the state, serious offenders are required to re-register every three months for the rest of their lives and are under constant supervision of specially trained teams, while less serious offenders must register every six months for 25 years or annually for 15.

Officials say the money, totaling $728,916, will go towards enforcing this process, as well as expenses, including personnel and equipment costs. 


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