Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

FAQs:

• What do I do if I think a person is a sex offender but I don't see them on the web site?
 
• If you think a person is a sex offender, but don't see their picture on the web site, contact Tribal Police at 534-7777.
 
• Why are there registered sex offenders living by a school or playgrounds?
 
• Convicted/registering sex offenders are prohibited from residing within 2500 feet from any tribal school, daycare, or playground. There are three offenders who are residing within protected zones on tribal property. They were "residing" at that address prior to the passage of the GTB SORNA Code and were "grandfathered" in under the Code's provisions.
 
• What happens when a sex offender does not comply with registry and rules of registration?
 
• Tribal police will follow up on all offenders who do not comply with any portion of the SORNA code. Providing false information or failure to register is a criminal offense subject to the federal failure-to-register offense 18 U.S.C. 2250 which provides federal criminal penalities of up to 10 years of imprisonment. Further, failure to register is a tribal criminal offense subject to the tribal law and SORNA Code which provides tribal criminal penalities of up to 1 year imprisonment and/or $5,000 fine.
 
• Why is my address not being recognized when I try a distance from this address search?
 
• At this time there are issues with the distance from this address search feature located under the Geographical Search tab. Not all addresses are being recognized by Google maps. The following information can be used when conducting a distance from address search: In Antrim County for all Wiigash addresses, please use 12900 Wiigash Mi Kun. In the Benzie Community Center area for all addresses on Mnookmi and Niibin, please use 7282 Hoadley rd. or 2517 Four Seasons. Most Four Seasons addresses may not appear in the correct loaction on the map, but they do work for the distance from address search feature. In the Charlevoix Community Center area the Wa-ba-noong addresses are not searchable when spelt using hyphens. Please spell it as Wabanoong. 10400 Wa-ba-noong and 10418 Wa-ba-noong are not recognized by Google Maps, please use 10405 Wabanoong as an alternative address. In Leelanau, Aus-Me-Dah-Keh addresses are not recognized on Google maps. Please use 3702 N Roubal as an alternative address. Beems-Kwa-Ma Rd addresses are not recognized on Google maps. Please use a close by Peshawbestown Rd. address (ex. 2600 Peshawbestown Rd.) when using the distance from address search. E. O-de-to-min Rd. addresses are not recognized by Google maps. Please use 11201 Ki-dah-keh as an alternative address. N. Ninatigo needs to be spelt as N. Ninati Go for the distance from address search feature to work correctly. Nish-Nah-Bah Rd. must be spelt as Nish Nahbah in order for the distance from address search to function correctly. Strongheart needs to be spelt as Strong Heart. All other search functions are working properly. The designers of the software that powers the GTB Sex Offender Registry website have been informed of these issues and they have in turn informed Google Maps of the issues. Some past issues have already been fixed and it appears that Google Maps personnel are working on these remaining issues.
 
• What do I do if I think a sex offender is in a restricted area?
 
• Do not approach the offender yourself! Contact the local police department and allow the officers to take appropriate action. The information made available on this website is for the purpose of protecting the public. It is not to be used for the purpose of harassing or intimidating anyone. A person who uses registry information to commit a criminal act against another person is subject to arrest and prosecution under the Grand Traverse Band Tribal Code.
 
• How do I sign up to receive e-mail notifications when a sex offender registers a new address that is near me?
 
• To register for e-mail notifications, first go to the “Community Notifications” tab. Next, enter your e-mail address and the appropriate information about the address in the Register for Community Notifications section of the page. Next, select whether you would like to be notified about sex offender addresses within a 1-, 2-, or 3-mile radius of your address or within the same zip code. Next, check the “I Agree” box to agree to the terms and conditions of the community notification system. Next, click the “Register” button. You should then receive a validation e-mail message that requires you to click the link in the message to complete your registration.
 
• How do I search for sex offenders who are registered by different registration jurisdictions?
 
• The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) provides the ability to search for registered sex offenders nationwide. To access the Website, go to www.nsopw.gov.
 
• How do I search for a particular registered sex offender if I do not know how to spell his or her name?
 
• The Name Search feature of the Website uses “begins with” search logic that returns all registered sex offenders with a first and/or last name or an alias that begins with the criteria you are searching. For example, if you conduct a search for first name “Jo” and last name “Sm”, the search results will include registered sex offenders that have the first name John, Jordan, Joseph, etc. with a last name like Smith, Smalls, Smart, etc. To ensure that you get the most accurate results, conduct a name search with the first two or three letters in the first and/or last name and then narrow your search by adding more letters if the search results are too numerous.
 
• How do I search for registered sex offenders who live, work, or attend school near an address of interest to me?
 
• This Website provides you with a way to search for registered sex offenders by a geographic radius around a particular address, by city, by zip code, and by county. To perform one of these searches, go to the “Geographical Search” tab, enter the information that is appropriate for the type of search you want to perform, select the search type, and click the “Search” button.
 
• How do I contact the registry if I have a question or if I have information that may be helpful?
 
• The registry staff can be contacted two different ways. The first is to click the “Contact Us” tab, fill out the form, and click the “Submit” button. The second is to click the “Submit a Tip” link while viewing a registered sex offender’s details. When a tip is submitted, information about the offender will automatically be included in the message so the registry staff knows which offender corresponds with the tip.