by Osman Parvez
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Due Diligence. These are the things that all buyers and sellers should do as they move towards completing a residential real estate transaction. Today I’m rolling out a series on due diligence. Here’s the first post.

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An important part of a buyer’s due diligence should be to check the database of registered sex offenders. Today, a sexually violent predator is moving from Boulder to Broomfield. Tomorrow it could be elsewhere, perhaps your neighborhood.

Two years ago Colorado passed a law to make the databases available online. It’s now very easy to check. Please be aware that many offenders eventually fail to register, perhaps due to harassment in the community. These resources are not intended to give you a sense of false security. It’s always a good idea to get to know your neighbors and to take steps to educate your family.

Here’s a link to the online database for convicted sex offenders in Colorado. The site allows you to search by location and the records include mug shots. In addition to the online database, I recommend checking with your local law enforcement agency for additional information on the prospective neighborhood of your potential home purchase. As of today, the state database retrieves 79 records of convicted sex offenders who are registered in Boulder, a fair portion currently incarcerated.

Here’s a link to local law enforcement websites in Colorado with sex offender information. Here’s a link to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office website and to the City of Boulder’s Police Department website on sex offenders.

The Boulder Sheriff’s office site includes a Google Maps mash-up showing the specific location of sex offenders in the database. Today’s map is depicted below (note, the map shows offenders in the Sheriff’s jurisdiction and not where there is overlap – such as the City of Boulder).

Image: Elana CXLIV, Boulder County Sheriff and Google Maps

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