Sex Offender Info
The purpose of this page is to inform you of California's sex registration laws, how you can obtain sex offender information, and what you can do to protect yourself and your family. In 1947, California implemented the nation's first sex offender registration program to help track the whereabouts of persons convicted of specific sex crimes. The registration requirement is for life unless the offender is relieved of this responsibility through legal process.
In 1996, California enacted "Megan's Law," which provides the public with photographs and descriptive information on serious sex offenders convicted of committing sex crimes and are required to register their whereabouts with local law enforcement.
Megan's Law Web Site - The California Department of Justice has recently announced a new service that allows the public to access sex offender information via a public internet web site. The site can be found at www.meganslaw.ca.gov.
Offender Watch - Offender Watch is the nation's leading registered sex offender management and community notification tool with hundreds of leading agencies in dozens of states utilizing it. You may enter any address in Marin County and see real-time information on the publishable offenders within a one mile radius of the address you enter. You may confidentially register as many addresses in the County as you wish, and we will continuously monitor the addresses and send you an email alert if a new offender registers an address within one mile of any address you register. To find out more, click Offender Watch.
The release of this information to the public is a means of assuring public protection and not to punish the offenders. The information may not be used to harass the offender or commit any crime against the offender. Public safety is best served when offenders are not concealing their location to avoid harassment.
You can reduce the risk to yourself and your family by taking simple precautions:
- Practice good security - at home, at the office, and in your vehicle.
- Be alert to locations and situation that make you and your family vulnerable to crime, and be aware of people around you and your family.
- Educate yourself on crime prevention tactics by visiting our Crime Prevention page.
Teach your children to avoid situations that put them in danger of abuse, molestation or abduction. Help protect your child by establishing a home environment where your child feels safe to tell you anything, without fear of shame, ridicule or punishment. A safe and supportive home environment, combined with clear instructions about what behavior is acceptable and what is not, will guide your child's actions and encourage your child to tell you if something improper happens. Many parents warn their children not to talk to strangers. But more often than not, an abuser or abductor is known to the child. He or she can be a school bus driver, teacher, relative, neighbor or family friend. It is best to teach your child to avoid certain situations or actions. Children should know from an early age that some behavior isn't acceptable, and that they have the right to tell an adult to leave them alone.
Here are some specific rules you can teach your child:
- Stay away from people who call you near their car, even if they offer to take you somewhere exciting.
- If someone tries to take you away, yell, "This person is not my father (or mother) and scream.
- If you get lost in a store, find another mom with children or go to the checkout counter. Don't wander around on your own.
- You don't have to keep secrets from your parents. No one can hurt your parents or pets if you tell what happened.
- No one should touch you in the parts covered by your bathing suit, and you should not be asked to touch anyone there.
- Don't let anyone take your picture without permission from your parents or teacher.
For more information, contact the Marin County Sheriff's Office, or visit the Attorney General's home page at www.caag.state.ca.us.
