API Documentation

The SafeWatch API provides programmatic access to sex offender registry data from all 50 US states. All responses are JSON with consistent schemas regardless of source state.

Base URL:https://api.safewatch.io/v1

Getting Started

Get Your API Key

Make Your First Request

Include your API key in the Authorization header:

bash

curl -X GET "https://api.safewatch.io/v1/search?address=1600+Pennsylvania+Ave+NW,+Washington,+DC+20500&radius=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Parse the Response

All responses follow a consistent JSON schema:

json

{
  "query": {
    "address": "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500",
    "radius_miles": 1,
    "results_count": 3
  },
  "offenders": [
    {
      "id": "DC-00234",
      "name": "John Doe",
      "tier": 2,
      "offense": "Sexual abuse, 2nd degree",
      "address": "1234 Example St NW, Washington, DC 20001",
      "distance_miles": 0.4,
      "registration_date": "2019-03-15",
      "state_registry_url": "https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/sex-offender-registry",
      "photo_url": null
    },
    {
      "id": "DC-00891",
      "name": "James Smith",
      "tier": 1,
      "offense": "Indecent exposure",
      "address": "567 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20001",
      "distance_miles": 0.7,
      "registration_date": "2021-08-22",
      "state_registry_url": "https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/sex-offender-registry",
      "photo_url": null
    },
    {
      "id": "DC-01456",
      "name": "Robert Johnson",
      "tier": 3,
      "offense": "First degree sexual abuse",
      "address": "890 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20001",
      "distance_miles": 0.9,
      "registration_date": "2015-01-10",
      "state_registry_url": "https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/sex-offender-registry",
      "photo_url": null
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "data_updated": "2026-03-08T06:00:00Z",
    "source": "DC Sex Offender Registry",
    "response_time_ms": 142
  }
}

Authentication

All API requests require a valid API key passed in the Authorization header:

http

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Security: Never expose your API key in client-side code. Always make API calls from your server.

Endpoints

GET/v1/search

Search for registered sex offenders near an address

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
address	string	Yes	US address, city, or zip code
radius	number	No	Search radius in miles (default: 1, max: 5)
limit	number	No	Max results to return (default: 25, max: 100)
offset	number	No	Pagination offset (default: 0)

GET/v1/offender/:id

Get detailed information about a specific registrant

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Offender ID (e.g., DC-00234)

GET/v1/state/:state

Get registry statistics and metadata for a state

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
state	string	Yes	Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g., CA)

POST/v1/batch

Search multiple addresses in a single request (Enterprise)

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
addresses	array	Yes	Array of address objects with address and radius

Error Codes

Code	Meaning	Resolution
400	Bad Request	Check your parameters — address may be invalid
401	Unauthorized	API key is missing or invalid
403	Forbidden	Your plan doesn't include this endpoint
404	Not Found	The requested resource doesn't exist
429	Rate Limited	You've exceeded your rate limit. Wait or upgrade.
500	Server Error	Something went wrong on our end. Try again.

Rate Limits

Plan	Calls/Month	Calls/Minute
Free	100	10
Growth	10,000	60
Enterprise	Unlimited	Custom

Rate limit headers are included in every response: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset

SDKs & Libraries

🐍PythonComing Soon

pip install safewatch

💚Node.jsComing Soon

npm install @safewatch/sdk

💎RubyComing Soon

gem install safewatch