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Home My WebLink About1999-09-13 City Council (10)TO."HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: POLICE DATE: SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 13, 1999 CMR:345:99 DISSEMINATION OF MEGAN’S LAW INFORMATION This is an informational report and no Council action is required. BACKGROUND Megan’s Law is the Federal and State law that was prompted by a nationwide reaction to the death of seven year old Megan Kanka in New Jersey. Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by a serious sex offender living anonymously in her neighborhood. California’s Megan’s Law, enacted in 1996, allows law enforcement agencies to notify law-abiding citizens of "serious" or "high risk" sex offenders who reside in, are employed in or frequent their community. Disclosures can be made in several ways, such as release to print or television media, mailed bulletins, public access to a CD-ROM database, or a 900 telephone number. "Serious" sex offenders are registrants who have been convicted of selected felony sex offenses or child molesting. "High risk" offenders are serious offenders identified as having a higher risk of re-offending and who may pose a greater risk to the public. High risk offenders generally have been convicted of multiple violent crimes. There are 28. registered sex offenders living in Palo Alto, 20 of whom are classified as serious and eight of whom are classified as "other."Palo Alto currently has no Offenders classified as high risk. DISCUSSION The intent of Megan’s Law is to prevent the reoccurrence of another Megan Kanka tragedy by protecting vulnerable populations from potential harm from sex CMR:345:99 Page 1 of 3 offenders. Many citizens, however, are unaware of their lawful right to access information that could potentially help protect themselves and their families. In order to increase public awareness and encourage public use of the Megan’s Law database, beginning in September of 1999 the Palo Alto Police Department will disseminate maps disclosing the general location of the residences of serious and/or high-risk offenders. The maps reveal general locations only and do not constitute notifications or disclosures within the meaning of the law. Dissemination of the maps will take place in three ways: (1) the maps will be sent to all public and private schools and day care centers, (2) the maps will be available at the front desk of the Police Department and (3) maps will be posted on the Police Department’s web site. The maps will be regularly updated. This strategy is similar to programs in place in Fremont and Union City. The program has been reviewed and approved by the authors of California’s Megan’s Law, the Department of Justice Megan’s Law Unit, the local District Attorney’s Office and the Palo Alto City Attorney’s Office. All affected sex registrants in the city have already been notified of the program. A copy of the map with accompanying information is attached. RESOURCE IMPACT None. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None. TIMELINE Implementation will occur in early September of 1999. ATTACHMENT Map PREPARED BY: Patrick Dwyer, Chief of Police CMR:345:99 Page 2 of 3 DEPARTMENT HEAD: Patrick Dwyer, Chi~f~f Pglice CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: Emily I-famson, Assistant City-Manager CMR:345:99 Page 3 of 3 PALO ALTO POLICE DEPARTMENT. REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS The Palo Alto Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and Police Community Se~’ices Division have produced the above map to increase community awareness of the sex offenders living in Palo Alto and to create a partnership with those most at risk. The small houses on the above map show the approximate location of the registered sex offenders. Only those sex offenders subject to public disclosure under Megan’s Law are. shown on the map. As you can see, the points (or houses) on the map do not show exact addresses or streets wh~re these sex offenders reside. The points on the map are not exact because they are only meant to provide a general area within the citv. This map is being distributed to increase public awareness and encourage our residents to come in and view the Megan’s Law CD ROM. This map and the information that can be obtained from the Megan’s Law CD ROM allows members of the public one more bit of information that can help them protect themselves and their children front sex offenders. It is illegal to use information from this map or the Megan’s Law CD ROM to commit a crime against a sex offender. Please review the reverse side of this document for additional information about Megan’s Law and details about viewing the CD ROM. This map was updated on June 30, 1999. This map will be updated on a monthly basis. The Palo Alto Police Department currently has twenty-eight (28) registered sex offende~sjIiying in the City of Palo Alto. Of those twenty-eight registered sex offenders: there are NO "high risk" sex offenders, 20 "serious" sex offenders, and 8 "other" sex offenders. The three classifications of sex offenders are described below. "High Risk" "Serious" "Other" High-risk sex offenders have been convicted of multiple violent offenses including at least one crime of a sexual nature. Certain information regarding high-risk sex offenders is subject to public disclosure. Serious sex offenders are those that have been convicted of a felony sex crime or misdemeanor child molestation. Certain information regarding serious sex offenders is subject to public disclosure. Other sex offenders have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes such as pornography, indecent exposure, sexual battery, or crimes committed as a juvenile and adjudic.ated in juvenile court. Information regarding other sex offenders is not subject to public disclosure. The 19 houses (points) on the map indicate the general area where a "serious" sex offender resides. (There is not a house (point) for one "serious" sex offender who is transient.) The 8 "other" offenders who would not be subject to public disclosure on the CD ROM are not on the map. There are currently no "high risk" offenders in the City of Palo Alto. The California Department of Justice produces a Megan’s Law CD ROM containing all of the registered sex offenders in the state. Since 1997, the Palo Alto Police department has made this CD ROM available for public viewing. The public is allowed to search the CD ROM database by name and/or by zip code. The public viewing portion of the CD ROM contains limited information on each registered sex offender. Members of the public will be able to view a photo of the sex offender, the sex offender’s name, a description of the sex offender, a list of crimes for which the sex offender is registered, and any other names associated to the sex offender. The public portion of tl~e CD ROM does not allow viewing of the specific street or address associated to a sex offender. If a citizen wants to view the CD ROM he/she must set up an appointment by contacting the police department at 650-329-2186. For other questions regarding sex crimes or child exploitation, please call either Detective Jean Bready at 650-329-2307 or Detective Ron Watson at 650-329-2257. Or vou can send them a brief e-mail message at: ron_watson@city.palo-alto.ca.us or jean_bready~city.paio-alto.ca.us If vou would like information on general crime prevention or ways you can become more involved in your community, please call Ofc. Wes Stanford at 650.329.2637 or Agt. Dave Hennessv at 650.329.2274 in the Police Community Sen’ices Division. Or vou can send them a brief e-mail message at: wes_stanford~city.palo-alto.ca.us or dave_hennessy@city.palo-alto.ca.us