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Nonprofit To Expand Nassau County Sex Offender Program

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Starting next year, the Long Island-based group Parents for Megan's Law will begin monitoring the online activities of Nassau County's registered sex offenders.

The monitoring will include tracking posts on Facebook and Twitter and forwarding leads to police, Newsday reported.

The nonprofit also will create a smartphone app to allow the public to report sex offender violations, police said. Nassau County has 550 registered sex offenders.

The Stony Brook organization maintains the registry, sends email alerts when offenders move and manages a help line and conducts community outreach.

The Nassau County Police Department said the group is expected to begin the program in January. It's still negotiating a contract price.

The nonprofit also has a three-year contract to run a similar program in neighboring Suffolk County.

Megan's Law was enacted in 1996 and is named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered by a neighbor who had prior convictions for sex assault.

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