January 7, 2005

State launches Megan’s Law website

46 registered offenders in Campbell

By Kymberli W. Brady and
Julie Davis Berry

On Dec 15, Attorney General Bill Lockyer unveiled California’s new Megan’s Law Internet Web site, which now provides access to over 63,000 registered sex offenders—including 46 living in Campbell.

The new Web site comes five months ahead of schedule—on the heels of legislation AB 488, sponsored by Lockyer and authored by Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford. It was signed into law on Sept. 24, 2004 and required the Department of Justice to have an Internet site up and running by July 1, 2005, complete with home addresses for the state’s most serious sex offenders.

From the privacy of their own computers, residents are now able to obtain home addresses for 33,500 of the state’s most serious offenders—those who have been convicted of committing lewd acts upon children under the age of 14, or sex crimes that include the element of force or fear. Addresses are also listed for those convicted of multiple sex offenses or sexually violent crimes against two or more victims, as are those deemed likely to further engage in sexually violent behavior.

Information on nearly 30,000 other offenders is included, but will not list their home addresses—only the zip code, city and county they live in.

Whether searching by city, county, zip code or individual name, visitors are privy to detailed personal profile information such as aliases, age, gender, race, physical description, scars, marks, tattoos and, if available, photographs. They also can search for offenders living in the vicinity of neighborhood parks or schools.

Descriptions of offender violations are included as well, along with listings for the 164 sex offenses and 61 juvenile offenses that qualify for registration under the California Penal Code. Additionally, viewers can find out if an individual is currently incarcerated, or is in violation of their registration requirement.

Absent from the site are an additional 22,000 or 25 percent of sex offenders who are known to police but excluded from public disclosure by law, depending on the type of crimes committed.

However, Lockyer warns that the site is capable of displaying only the last registered address as reported by the offenders and may not be current, but looks to bridge the gap through the combined efforts of the Web site and citizen participation.

“This important tool will help Californians better protect their families and help law enforcement keep track of offenders who have violated registration laws,” he said. “With only 80,000 law enforcement officers assigned to safeguard a state of 35 million people, we depend on help from citizens to keep our communities safe.”

By simply typing in their zip code, Campbell residents now have instant access to information regarding the 46 registered sex offenders in the 95008 community, including the home addresses for two residents who are considered high-risk.

“We’re in contact with the offenders in Campbell on a regular basis,” said Campbell Police Chief Dave Gullo. “It helps that there are not that many.”

Three offenders in Campbell are currently in violation of registration requirements and residents are encouraged to provide any information they may have to assist the police in discovering their whereabouts.

“I’m happy that it’s out,” said Gullo of the Megan’s Law Web site. “But I really want people to remember that they also need to be concerned about people who have not been arrested yet. They need to be vigilant.”

Although not yet completely up to speed on all of the Megan’s Law Web site offerings, San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis calls it a great start.

“I’ve just started tinkering around with it,” he admits. “But from what I saw, it sure looks good for the initial version.

While there may be things that can be improved upon, it’s a whole lot better than what we had—a whole lot more than we were getting from the state.”

According to Davis, the mapping could use more work, as clicking on an offender’s address will take the user to basic views, but no specifics or surrounding streets. Links to other states would enhance the global effectiveness of the program.

“I think we give more of a narrative of what the individuals have done outside of listing the penal code they violated,” Davis adds. “We also have better maps.”

Gullo feels that the Department of Justice will be honing in on these issues and improving the Web site on a regular basis. In the meantime he encourages Campbell residents to also visit the San Jose Police Department Web site to get information on local offenders.

Pro-active measures
Statistics show that most sexual offenses are committed by family, friends or acquaintances and are therefore never reported. In an effort to circumvent future threats, the Web site also includes links to frequently asked questions, tips on protecting loved ones, and sex offender registration requirements.

Megan’s Law was created to provide communities with access to critical information on sex offenders and is named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl raped and killed by a known child molester who moved into the neighborhood without her parent’s knowledge.

California set the tone in 1947 by becoming the first state in the nation to require sex offender registration. Under the current law, registrants are required to re-register within five days of their birthday each year, as well as every time they move. Transients must do so every 60 days.

New requirements go into effect Jan. 1
On Jan. 1, stiffer guidelines will require transient registrants to re-register every 30 days and sexually violent predators every 90 days.

According to Lockyer, to make the system more effective, the database is updated every 24 hours, and information is provided in 13 additional languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

To access the California Megan’s Law Internet site, visit http://MegansLaw.ca.gov. It can also be accessed via the Attorney General’s Web site at www.ag.ca.gov/megan.