FINES MAY BE LEVIED ON OFFENDERS BILL WOULD GENERATE FUNDS TO FIND SEX-CRIME CONVICTS.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer LANCASTER - Legislation introduced by Assemblywoman Sharon Runner Sharon Runner (born May 17 1954, Los Angeles) is a Californian politician. She has been a member of the California State Assembly since 2002. Runner, a Republican from Antelope Valley represents the 36th district. would impose fines on convicted sex offenders sex offender n. generic term for all persons convicted of crimes involving sex, including rape, molestation, sexual harassment and pornography production or distribution. to help pay for tracking down the 33,000 sex offenders the state has lost track of. Runner's Assembly Bill 891 would impose fines of up to $10,000 - $25,000 if the victim was a minor - that would be distributed among California cities and counties to pay for enforcing registration laws for sex offenders. ``We need the funds to be able to track these people down,'' said Lancaster sheriff's Cmdr. Capt. Carl Deeley. For decades, California has required people convicted of sex crimes to register with local police departments when they are released from prison, or whenever they move. But state officials have admitted that they have lost track of nearly 33,000 of 98,000 sex offenders who are supposed to register. Putting faith in criminals to register voluntarily has proven ineffective, Runner said, and not all communities have money to fund teams to locate sex offenders in their area. Lancaster and neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. unincorporated Adj. 1. unincorporated - not organized and maintained as a legal corporation unorganised, unorganized - not having or belonging to a structured whole; "unorganized territories lack a formal government" communities from Lake Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. to Quartz Hill have about 370 registered sex offenders, Deeley said. Only 10 offenders assigned to Lancaster are unaccounted for An inclusive term (not a casualty status) applicable to personnel whose person or remains are not recovered or otherwise accounted for following hostile action. Commonly used when referring to personnel who are killed in action and whose bodies are not recovered. , he said. State parole officers cooperate with sheriff's deputies, and a Lancaster sheriff's station analyst is assigned to keep track of sex offenders, Deeley said. But, he added, the local communities could contain more offenders who were supposed to register in other jurisdictions but never did. No estimate is available on how much money the fines could bring in annually, said Runner, R-Lancaster. She acknowledged that some convicts won't be able to pay them, but said many sex offenders are not indigent indigent 1) n. a person so poor and needy that he/she cannot provide the necessities of life (food, clothing, decent shelter) for himself/herself. 2) n. one without sufficient income to afford a lawyer for defense in a criminal case. . ``There are people of means who are pedophiles,'' Runner said. The bill is scheduled to get its first hearing next week before the Assembly Public Safety Committee. Runner also has introduced a second bill, Assembly Bill 1146, to modify a law that forbids sex offenders on parole from living within a quarter- mile of elementary schools elementary school: see school. . Runner's modification would forbid them from living within a quarter-mile of child-care facilities, including licensed home care centers, as well. ``It's just a couple things we can do to keep our children safe,'' Runner said of the bills. |
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