CHENANGO COUNTY – Throughout the county, there are approximately 172 registered sex offenders. The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office wants to ensure that residents know where sex offenders live with trick-or-treating approaching.

The CCSO offers online access to OffenderWatch, a sex offender mapping and notification service. The intentions of OffenderWatch are to aid citizens in avoiding homes that are potentially dangerous.

Chenango County Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting Jr. said, “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 [chenangosheriff.us] to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living.”

Residents are urged to check any addresses where they or their families spend time. OffenderWatch pinpoints exactly where a registered sex offender lives.

An additional feature is the ability to sign up to receive free notifications automatically via email if a registered sex offender moves within a specified radius of an address typed into the system.

“If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a different neighborhood, register that address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid,” said Cutting. “You can register any and all addresses where your children spend time. For example: friends’, grandparent’s, or babysitter’s addresses.”