California Department of
Justice
New Megan's
Law Internet Site Fact Sheet
Assembly Bill 488,
signed by the Governor in September 2004, now requires that specific
information about persons required to register as sex offenders be posted on
the Attorney General's Internet web site on or before July 1, 2005. We are
pleased to announce that the information in now available online, at:
http://MegansLaw.ca.gov
or
http://ag.ca.gov/
History of Megan's
Law
Information on the
whereabouts of registered sex offenders was NOT available to the public
until the implementation of the Child Molester Identification Line in July
1995. A year later, in 1996, California's Megan's Law further expanded the
information available to the public; however, access to the information
could only be through a sheriff's office or a participating police
department.
Information now
available on the new Internet site
The new California
Megan's Law Internet site provides the public with detailed information on
more than 63,000 registered sex offenders, including those currently
incarcerated. The information includes:
-
Names
-
Aliases (nicknames)
-
Age
-
Gender
-
Race
-
Physical description
(including scars, marks and tattoos)
-
Photograph
-
Description of the
conviction(s)
-
County and Zip Code
where the offender last registered
The Internet site
provides home addresses for about 33,500 of the state's most serious sex
offenders. Additionally, viewers can see if an individual is in violation of
their registration requirement and the date they fell out of compliance.
You can search the web
site by city, county or Zip Code; or by park, school or individual name.
California's Megan's Law
provides the public with certain information on the whereabouts of sex
offenders so that members of our local communities can protect themselves
and their children. The law is not intended to punish the offender and
specifically prohibits using the information to harass or commit any
crime against the offender.
SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS,
PLEASE CONTACT SGT. VINCE MATRANGA AT 643-7444.
