Dukes County Sex Offender Registry

Dukes County sits on Martha's Vineyard, a group of islands off the south coast of Cape Cod with about 20,000 year-round residents. Searching for sex offenders in Dukes County means using the SORB online database to find Level 2 and Level 3 registrants, calling island police departments for records not posted online, and knowing how the registry works on a small island community. Summer months bring the population past 100,000, which raises concerns about transient offenders and seasonal workers who may need to register. This page covers every resource you can use to search the Dukes County sex offender registry and check on registered offenders across the Vineyard.

Dukes County Sheriff and SORB

The Dukes County Sheriff's Office is at 9 Wells Street in Edgartown, MA 02539. The phone number is (508) 627-5171. The Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and works with the state Sex Offender Registry Board on offender registration when people leave custody. If a sex offender is released from the Dukes County facility, the Sheriff's Office coordinates with SORB to make sure that person is properly registered before release. The office does not set risk levels or manage the public database. That falls to SORB in Salem.

The Sex Offender Registry Board is the state agency that runs the sex offender registry for all of Massachusetts, including Dukes County. SORB classifies offenders, assigns risk levels, and keeps the statewide database. You can reach SORB at (978) 740-6400 or toll-free at 1-800-93-MEGAN. The mailing address is P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970.

Because Dukes County has a small year-round population, the number of registered sex offenders on the island is lower than in larger counties. That does not mean the registry is less important here. The seasonal population surge makes tracking compliance harder. Offenders who work summer jobs on Martha's Vineyard or who visit for extended stays may need to register if they meet the criteria under state law. Local police and SORB share that responsibility.

Search Sex Offenders in Dukes County

The quickest way to look up sex offenders in Dukes County is through the SORB online portal at sorb.chs.state.ma.us. The search is free. You can search by name, town, or zip code. The database shows Level 2 and Level 3 offenders only. Level 1 offenders are not in the public search because the state considers them low risk. For Dukes County, try searching by the town names: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, Aquinnah, or Gosnold. Each town may have its own zip code, so searching by town name is often the easiest approach for island locations.

One gap exists in the online system. Level 2 offenders who were classified before July 12, 2013, do not show up in the SORB online database. To get those records, you must visit a local police department in person with a photo ID. An officer can pull up the information at no cost. On Martha's Vineyard, you can go to the Edgartown Police Department at (508) 627-4343, the Oak Bluffs Police at (508) 693-0750, the Tisbury Police at (508) 696-4200, or the West Tisbury Police at (508) 696-0100. Any of these departments can help you access Level 2 records that are not posted online.

Level 3 offenders are fully visible in the SORB database. No restrictions apply. Their photos, addresses, and offense details are all public. Start with the online portal and follow up with local police for anything that does not appear.

Note: The national registry at nsopw.gov can also show Dukes County sex offenders since it pulls from all 50 state databases.

Dukes County Sex Offender Registration Rules

Sex offenders in Dukes County must follow the same rules as offenders in every other part of Massachusetts. The registration requirements are set out in MGL c.6 sections 178C through 178Q. After a conviction or release from custody, an offender must register with SORB and provide a current address, place of work, and other personal details. If they move to a new town on Martha's Vineyard, they must update their registration within the time frame the law sets.

Level 2 and Level 3 offenders must verify their registration in person once a year under section 178F½. That verification goes through SORB, not the local police. It is not optional. Offenders who live on Martha's Vineyard year-round and those who stay seasonally both have to keep their registration current. The island's seasonal housing market can complicate things, but the law does not make exceptions for people who move around frequently.

Failing to register is a serious crime. Under section 178H, a first offense for not registering can mean up to five years in state prison. A second offense carries a mandatory five-year sentence. The Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office handles these prosecutions for Dukes County. Local police departments on the Vineyard track compliance and report lapses to SORB.

Community Notification on Martha's Vineyard

Community notification in Dukes County works the same way it does across the state. The process depends on the offender's risk level. Level 3 sex offenders trigger active notification. When a Level 3 offender moves into a town on the Vineyard, local police must notify the community. That can mean going door to door, posting flyers at public buildings, or holding a community meeting. Each island town handles notification through its own police department.

Level 2 offenders get a different treatment. Police can share Level 2 information with schools, youth programs, and organizations that ask for it. This is called organizational notification. If you run a camp, daycare, or after-school program on Martha's Vineyard, contact your town's police department to set up that kind of notification. It is especially relevant during the summer when many programs serve children and families visiting the island.

Level 1 offenders get no public notification at all. Their records stay within the criminal justice system. The state has decided they pose a low risk. If you think a particular offender should be classified at a higher level, you can contact SORB to request a review.

Dukes County Police Departments

Martha's Vineyard has several independent police departments, each serving one of the island's towns. All of them can help you access sex offender information. Here are the main departments you can contact in Dukes County:

• Edgartown Police Department: (508) 627-4343
• Oak Bluffs Police Department: (508) 693-0750
• Tisbury Police Department: (508) 696-4200
• West Tisbury Police Department: (508) 696-0100
• Chilmark and Aquinnah share law enforcement resources with neighboring towns

Any of these departments can pull up sex offender records for you in person. Bring a valid photo ID. The service is free. If you are not sure which town an offender lives in, start with the SORB online search and then visit the police department in the town where you want more detail. Gosnold, the smallest town in Dukes County, has very few residents and relies on the state police barracks and neighboring departments for law enforcement support.

Note: Police departments on the Vineyard are smaller than mainland departments, so calling ahead before a visit can save you time.

Legal Resources for Dukes County

The Massachusetts Law About Sex Offenders page on mass.gov is a solid starting point if you want to understand how the registry system works in Dukes County and the rest of the state. It explains risk levels, registration rules, and public access rights in plain language. For the full text of the sex offender registry statutes, the MGL c.6 sections 178C through 178Q page has everything.

The Committee for Public Counsel Services provides public defense in Dukes County for people who cannot afford a lawyer. If someone is facing a sex offender classification hearing or a failure-to-register charge and needs legal help, they can contact that office. The Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office prosecutes sex crimes and registration violations across all of Dukes County. Their office serves Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties.

If you want to file a formal public records request with SORB, the process is explained at mass.gov. That lets you request information not available through the standard online search, including details about Level 1 offenders in limited cases.

Dukes County Sex Offender Resources

The SORB online portal is the main tool for checking on sex offenders in Dukes County, but there are other resources worth knowing about. The state maintains a page with general information about Massachusetts background record checks through the CORI system. CORI checks cover criminal history broadly, while the sex offender registry is specific to registered offenders. Both can be useful depending on what you need.

The SORB homepage is where you start any search for registered sex offenders in Dukes County or anywhere in Massachusetts. The site lets you search by name, town, or zip code at no cost.

Martha's Vineyard is a tight-knit community. That means information about sex offenders can travel fast through informal channels, but the official sources are always the most reliable and up to date. The SORB database is updated regularly. Local police departments get notification from SORB when an offender moves into their jurisdiction. If you have concerns about a specific person or address on the island, use the official tools first and contact local police if you need more help.

Cities in Dukes County

No cities in Dukes County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. The main towns on Martha's Vineyard are Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, Aquinnah, and Gosnold. You can search sex offenders in any of these communities through the SORB portal or by contacting local police departments directly.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County is an island county accessible by ferry from the Cape Cod mainland. The closest counties by geography and jurisdiction are Barnstable, Nantucket, Plymouth, and Bristol.