DENVER -- More than 96 percent of convicted sex offenders have registered with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, as required by a law that took effect July 1.

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The agency knows of 8,421 convicted sex offenders in the state and has verified that more than 8,100 are registered, CBI spokesman Mike Igoe said on Thursday.

"It is looking very good," he said.

The process of verifying the names is time-consuming but should be completed by the end of August, Igloe said. "It pays dividends to be accurate," he said.

CBI has been waiting for reports from police departments, where sex offenders are required to register. Sixty percent of the departments have reported.

Names and photos of offenders who have not registered or whose registration has not been confirmed will be posted on the Internet.

Under Colorado law, sex offenders must register with local authorities within 72 hours of their release. Residents can obtain their names, ages and addresses at local departments.

Photos of repeat sex offenders released from state prisons last week are also being posted on the Internet as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation scrambles to calm public fears and comply with a new state law. By noon Thursday only 10 photos had been posted, but more were being added hour-by-hour.

Gov. Bill Owens ordered the bureau to speed up the process of posting information and photographs of the most dangerous offenders, said Owens' spokeswoman, Amy Jewett Sampson.

A state law requires the agency to post pictures and descriptions of people convicted of multiple sex offenses or a felony sex crime and a violent crime. Sex offenders who haven't registered with local police are also required to be posted.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Convicted Sex Offenders