Opinion ID: 2084503
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Release of Information

Text: At the time of Slansky's assessment, information obtained under SORA was to remain confidential except in three situations: (1) Information shall be disclosed to law enforcement agencies for law enforcement purposes; (2) Information may be disclosed to governmental agencies conducting confidential background checks; and (3) The Nebraska State Patrol and any law enforcement agency authorized by the patrol shall release relevant information that is necessary to protect the public concerning a specific person required to register, except that the identity of a victim of an offense that requires registration shall not be released. Release of such information shall conform with the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the Nebraska State Patrol pursuant to section 29-4013. § 29-4009. As previously mentioned, whether it is necessary to notify the public under § 29-4009(3) is essentially a question whether the offender is at a high risk to reoffend. See § 29-4013. If the offender has been determined to be at a high risk of reoffending, the public shall be notified through means designed to reach members of the public likely to encounter the sex offender, which are limited to direct contact, news releases, or a system utilizing a telephone system which charges a fee for each use. § 29-4013(2)(c)(iii). On appeal, Slansky argues that the dissemination of his personal information via the NSP's Web site violates SORA because neither SORA nor the NSP's rules and regulations provide authority for the NSP to release sex offender information through the Internet. Moreover, Slansky claims that by posting information concerning Level 3 sex offenders on its Web site, thereby making such information available worldwide, the NSP is acting contrary to SORA's requirement that the public shall be notified through means designed to reach members of the public likely to encounter the sex offender. (Emphasis supplied.) § 29-4013(2)(c)(iii). We conclude that SORA permits the NSP to post information concerning Level 3 offenders on its Web site. Under § 29-4013(c)(iii), the NSP is directed to notify the public about Level 3 offenders through direct contact, news releases, or a system utilizing a telephone system which charges a fee for each use. Id. By posting information concerning Level 3 offenders on its Web site, the NSP is merely disseminating news releases through an alternative medium, i.e., the Internet. This does not violate SORA. Cf. § 29-4013(3) (stating that nothing in subsection (2) shall be construed to prevent law enforcement officers from providing community notification concerning any person who poses a danger under circumstances that are not provided for in the act). Likewise, the NSP, by posting information concerning Level 3 offenders on its Web site, is not acting contrary to § 29-4013(2)(c)(iii), which states that notice is to be limited to persons likely to encounter Level 3 offenders. Obviously, by posting information concerning Level 3 sex offenders on its Web site, the NSP greatly expands the number of people that can access information concerning persons that have been classified as Level 3 offenders. However, this fact is substantially mitigated by the reality that the farther away a person lives from Nebraska, the less likely it becomes that they will have an interest in accessing the information. See, Femedeer v. Haun, 227 F.3d 1244 (10th Cir. 2000); Meadows v. Board of Parole, 181 Or. App. 565, 47 P.3d 506 (2002). In addition, the possibility that information concerning Level 3 offenders will end up in the public domain already exists under the more established methods of dissemination. For example, Slansky does not challenge the NSP's authority to disseminate press releases to the media, despite the fact that many media outlets, such as newspapers and television stations, operate Web sites on which they reproduce their newspaper or television reports. Furthermore, the NSP's Web site fulfills the regulatory purpose of SORA because it allows persons who wish to visit or move to certain areas of the state to take appropriate precautions. See, A.A. ex rel. M.M. v. New Jersey, 341 F.3d 206 (3d Cir. 2003) (noting Internet registry protects persons planning to move to or vacation in state by allowing them access to location of high-risk offenders); Com. v. Williams, 574 Pa. 487, 832 A.2d 962 (2003). In sum, by posting information concerning Level 3 offenders on its Web site, the NSP is not impermissibly exceeding SORA's notice restriction.