Washington – Today marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of
the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA). The law is named
for 6-year-old Adam Walsh, who was abducted from a Florida mall on this
same date in 1981 by a serial killer. Adam’s abduction and murder served
as a catalyst for change in the way the nation deals with crimes against
children. This tragedy launched his father, John Walsh, on a lifelong
mission to prevent similar attacks on other children. John Walsh’s
efforts resulted in the establishment of the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the television show America’s Most
Wanted. Those two projects alone have brought hundreds of wanted
individuals to justice.
As the lead federal agency for sex offender
violations, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) created the Sex Offender
Investigations Branch to direct and coordinate implementation of the
agency’s three primary responsibilities under the Act:
1. Assist state, local, tribal, and territorial
authorities in the location and apprehension of noncompliant and
fugitive sex offenders
2. Investigate violations of the AWA for federal
prosecution
3. Assist in the identification and location of
sex offenders relocated as a result of a major disaster
To ensure the safety of America’s communities and
children, the USMS instituted an aggressive AWA enforcement strategy.
The agency designated experienced criminal investigators within all U.S.
judicial districts to spearhead implementation of the legislation. At
the same time, the USMS established and maintains effective contacts
with sex offender registration authorities, corrections officials, and
other law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
“When the Adam Walsh Act became law in 2006, the
U.S. Marshals Service was well positioned to carry out its new
responsibilities because the agency had already established a
foundational network of Deputy U.S. Marshals working alongside law
enforcement officers from hundreds of state, local, and federal
agencies, all dedicated to making communities safer,” said USMS Director
Donald Washington. “Over many years, we have collaborated with our
extensive network of law enforcement partners to apprehend fugitives.
After the AWA became law, it was a natural act to use this same network
to assist our partners with non-compliant sex offenders. We are very
proud to work with our partners at the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children and the Justice Department’s Office of Sex Offender
Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART)
to execute this important mission of bringing to justice those who would
harm a child.”
“In the 15 years since the passage of the AWA
through July 2021, the U.S. Marshals Service initiated more than 39,600
federal investigations and arrested more than 5,500 individuals for AWA
violations. In the same timeframe, U.S. Marshals arrested more than
41,000 individuals wanted on state and local arrest warrants—charging
them with failure to register as sex offenders.”
“The Marshals Service has executed more than
4,000 sex offender compliance and enforcement operations, partnering
with more than 58,500 individual law enforcement officers from more than
16,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and
U.S. territories. During these operations, the USMS assisted state and
local enforcement partners with more than 634,000 compliance checks on
known sex offenders.”
Under the AWA, the Department of Justice
established the SMART Office to help jurisdictions implement the
standards of Title I, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act
(SORNA) and to provide federal-level coordination of a comprehensive
system across the United States. Since 2007, the SMART Office has
awarded more than $156 million to support implementation of the Sex
Offender Registration and Notification Act and assumed responsibility
for the Dru Sjodin (pronounced Show-din) National Sex Offender Public
Website (nsopw.gov) that allows anyone to conduct free searches for sex
offender information across all jurisdictions from one website. Each
month, users conduct an average of 4.3 million searches on NSOPW.gov.
The SMART Office was also an initial funder of DOJ’s Tribal Access
Program (TAP), which gives tribes access to national crime information
systems for criminal and civil purposes. To date, there are 99 tribes
participating in TAP, contributing to their ability to increase public
safety on tribal lands.
“The passage of the Adam Walsh Act was an
important step in helping jurisdictions monitor the whereabouts of sex
offenders and pursue absconders. The AWA has strengthened the tools
jurisdictions have to register and track sex offenders, while increasing
information sharing with the public and among law enforcement agencies
locally, across jurisdictions, and internationally,” said SMART Office
acting Director Dawn Doran. “The 15 years since its enactment have been
a period of growth and progress, with a stronger network of programs in
place to serve areas, such as Indian Country, once regarded as havens
for those fleeing the law and greater citizen access to information from
public registries across the country.”
“There’s no doubt that The Adam Walsh Act has
made this country a safer place for our children,” said John Clark,
President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children. “When this landmark legislation was passed 15 years ago, I was
the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service and will always be proud to
have been a part of spearheading the strategy behind the Adam Walsh Act.
Today, it’s surreal to now serve as the head of our nation’s leading
child safety organization where we see the enormous impact of the Act.
On this milestone anniversary, I hope everyone takes the time to reflect
on Adam’s legacy.”
“My family and I are honored that this law, named
after my son, has made such a tremendous impact,” said John Walsh. “I
want to say thank you to everyone involved. Thank you for all the hard
work you do every day to make our country safer.”
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency