Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Rhode Island Department of Public Safety received a $365,350 Project Grant from the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing Monitoring Apprehending Registering and Tracking (SMART) under the Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program (CFDA 16.750), awarded March 1, 2026, with a completion date of February 28, 2029. The award funds critical personnel and operational activities to maintain the state's sex offender registration and notification system in compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Specifically, the grant supports two permanent staff positions—a Program Coordinator and Program Analyst—essential to the integrity of the registration and notification process, as well as an annual subscription to OffenderWatch, a specialized registry management platform.

In addition to personnel and software maintenance, the award funds a multi-year digitization initiative to convert existing hard-copy sex offender records into electronic format, advancing SORNA compliance and enabling efficient information sharing across state and federal agencies. The funded activities include conducting internal audits on registry records, obtaining and distributing documentation within Rhode Island and to other jurisdictions, and performing mandatory monthly National Crime Information Center (NCIC) sex offender record validations. These operational and infrastructure enhancements strengthen the department's capacity to maintain accurate, consistent offender information accessible to all relevant law enforcement agencies.