540 SEX OFFENDERS IN A.V. WEB SITE SHOWS RESIDENCE, CRIMES, DANGER.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - More than 540 registered sex offenders live among the Antelope Valley's 390,000 population, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the state's newly created sex offender Internet Web site. The Web site lets people see the names, photos, addresses and crimes of the offenders, who range from flashers to rapists and are nearly all men. ``Because of the recidivism recidivism: see criminology. rate, the cyclical nature of this crime, at least we'll have that measure of protection for potential victims,'' said Sandi Darrington, coordinator of Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital's Sexual Assault Response Service. ``On the other hand, another piece of this crime is accountability and if this in some way holds the perpetrators accountable for the crime they have committed in the public's eye, maybe it will serve as some sort of deterrent. It certainly seems to be a step in the right direction.'' Local sex offenders are already calling to complain about the Web site, which they say puts them in danger. ``I've had a lot of guys calling me saying, I can't believe they put (out) my address; that puts me in jeopardy,'' said Linda Dopirak, who is in charge of registering and overseeing sex offenders living in the Palmale sheriff's station patrol area. ``But it's a public safety issue. The public has a right to know.'' The new Megan's Law Megan's Laws are named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old girl from New Jersey who was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1994 by a neighbor who, unknown to the victim's family, had been previously convicted for Sex Offenses against children. Internet site lets people look up information about more than 63,000 of California's nearly 100,000 registered sex offenders by name, address, city, county ZIP code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. and also by nearby parks and schools. The state Web site doesn't list sex offenders convicted of crimes including incest, spousal rape spousal rape Forensic medicine Rape by a husband or common law partner, a violent crime and a component of battered wife syndrome. See Assault, Date rape, Domestic violence, Rape. or possessing child pornography Child pornography is the visual representation of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity or the visual representation of minors engaging in lewd or erotic behavior designed to arouse the viewer's sexual interest. . The state Web site indicates which offenders are in violation of their registration, which in some communities in California is a large percentage, records show. Lancaster and Palmdale each have only 10 sex offenders considered in violation, which officials said is a result of an aggressive local effort to keep track of sex offenders. Teams of deputies make sure that sex offenders are living where they report they are and arrests warrants are issued for those who move without telling law enforcement officials. At the Palmdale sheriff's station, Dopirak sends letters to any registrant An individual or organization that signs up (registers) for a training class or service. See domain name registrar. who moves into the area, warning them they have 14 days to register or an arrest warrant will be issued. The station's Partners Against Crime deputies check dozens of registrants every month and report their findings to Dopirak. ``We send a letter to them, and nine times out of 10, they call because of the fear of that warrant,'' Dopirak said. ``If they don't, we issue a warrant.'' Hundreds of sex offenders registered in local law-enforcement files are not listed on the Web site, records show. The state Web site lists about 230 offenders living in Palmdale and communities such as Littlerock and Acton patrolled by Palmdale deputies. Palmdale sheriff's station records list 310 registrants, including 300 ``serious'' offenders, one categorized cat·e·go·rize tr.v. cat·e·go·rized, cat·e·go·riz·ing, cat·e·go·riz·es To put into a category or categories; classify. cat as ``high risk'' for multiple offenses and nine listed in the ``other'' category. The Lancaster sheriff's station has on record 410 sex offenders, but the state Web site lists 308 people in Lancaster and surrounding communities. Megan's Law, which took effect in 1996, made information about registered sex offenders available to the public through so-called Megan's Law computers at local law enforcement offices. Megan's Law was named for a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a child molester Noun 1. child molester - a man who has sex (usually sodomy) with a boy as the passive partner paederast, pederast degenerate, deviant, deviate, pervert - a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior who moved across the street from her family's home. The Internet site, authorized by a 2004 state law, is aimed at making information about sex offenders easier to find without going to a police station. The site is available at meganslaw.ca.gov or through the California Attorney General The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of the government of the state of California in the USA. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (California Constitution, Article V, Section 13. Web site at caag.state.ca.us/megan. CAPTION(S): box Box: SEX OFFENDERS BY ZIP CODE Source: California Attorney General |
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