San Benito County residents may access the names of the 78 sex
offenders living in the county by using the database located at the
San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
To view the database a resident may make an appointment at the
sheriff’s department, however they have to have a stated reason to
view the database
– they can’t come in out of mere curiosity, said Sheriff Curtis
Hill.
San Benito County residents may access the names of the 78 sex offenders living in the county by using the database located at the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
To view the database a resident may make an appointment at the sheriff’s department, however they have to have a stated reason to view the database – they can’t come in out of mere curiosity, said Sheriff Curtis Hill.
“There’s rules you have to follow,” Hill said. “If you can articulate various levels of concern, you’re in.”
The database is a result of legislation known as “Megan’s Law.” The extension of Megan’s Law was unanimously approved by the State Assembly on Monday and signed by Gov. Gray Davis yesterday.
The law was slated to expire at the end of this year, but passage of the bill extended it until January 2007.
Megan’s Law allows the public to view information regarding registered sex offenders living in their community.
There are several ways to search for an offender through the database. A list of suspects is brought up by inserting someone’s name, age, physical description (including scars, tattoos and marks), the county of residence and zip code.
The offender’s address is not included in the Megan’s Law database. This information is kept confidential to prevent vigilantes from taking the law into their own hands, Hill said.
Anyone accessing the Megan’s Law database must sign a waiver that they will not harass the offender in any way and could face prison time if they do.
“The law protects them also,” said Herminia Flores, records specialist at the sheriff’s department.
The California Department of Justice suggests viewing the Megan’s Law database in the case of reasonable suspicion or the liklihood exists to encounter a sex offender.
The “reasonably suspects” category implies a suspicion based on information provided by law enforcement or another member of the public that someone is at risk of becoming the victim of a high risk or serious sex offender.
The “likely to encounter” category implies a resident is in a location close to where the offender lives, works or visits, and that contact with the offender is likely to occur. A location close to the offender is defined as one mile in any direction.
The California Department of Justice classifies three types of sexual offenders – high risk, serious and other registered sex offenders.
Currently, there are two high-risk offenders residing within the county and one residing within the city of Hollister, Flores said.
A high-risk offender is defined as a person convicted of three or more violent sex offenses or two sex offenses and one non-sex offense.
For offenders classified in this category, the sheriff’s department periodically posts the offender’s information in the area where he lives, informing the public of his presence, Hill said.
A serious risk offender includes anyone convicted of sexual battery, rape, incest, sodomy, and a multitude of other crimes.
Persons listed under other registered sex offenders are misdemeanants and their names are not included in the Megan’s Law database for public viewing. The public is not privy to these names because some of the crimes listed under this category are for one-time offenders and considered much less of a threat, or in deference to the victims, such as in incest or spousal abuse cases, Flores said.
Between six and 16 community members view the database every month for one reason or another, Flores said.
There have been instances where residents have reviewed the database and found a neighbor, acquaintance, boyfriend or even husband is included on the list. Without the Megan’s Law database, they would have had no knowledge of the person’s sexual offenses, she said.
Megan’s Law was named for Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered by a known child molester who moved across the street from her home without her parent’s knowledge.
In the wake of this tragedy, California passed the law in 1996 and now has a database that lists 80,000 convicted sexual predators who have been released from prison and are living throughout the state.
The sheriff’s department is located at 451 Fourth St. in Hollister. Appointments to view the Megan’s Law database can be made between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. To make an appointment, call 636-4080.
