PROP. 83 MAY LIMIT OFFENDERS' OPTIONS.

Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- City officials are re-examining the definition of parkland just in case a ballot proposition aimed at restricting the residency and movement of convicted sex offenders is approved.

Proposition 83, dubbed ``Jessica's Law,'' proposes extending the distance between an offender's residence and a school by 800 feet -- to a total of 2,000 feet -- and requiring all offenders to wear Global Positioning System monitor cuffs.

A greater residency restriction of one-half mile from any school would remain in effect for more serious offenders.

The new law, if passed, also would include parkland and would give local government authority to increase boundaries.

Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste recently directed the city attorney to research whether the city's trail system could be deemed part of the park system.

``I was given a verbal assurance that it was,'' she said. ``Basically, it came down to what we could do to maximize the benefits of the law and include our parks, trails and paseos together.''

Convicted sex offenders living in the Santa Clarita area are monitored by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and required to register once a year within five days of their birthday at the local station.

``At that time, an updated picture is taken and any changes to their address or contact information are made,'' said Lt. Mike Dunkle, acting station commander. ``If they don't check in, the District Attorney's Office is notified and an arrest warrant is issued.

``Out of the 200 guys we've processed through the system in the last 4 1/2 years, only six or seven have been out,'' he said. ``We have three warrants in the system now.''

According to the Megan's Law Web site, there are currently 84 offenders on the list; 24 in Canyon Country, 20 in Newhall and Stevenson Ranch combined, 15 in Saugus, 13 in Castaic and 12 in Valencia.

In neighboring Antelope Valley, there are 452 offenders, 14 of them in violation of the requirements.

Extending residence boundaries has the potential to drive offenders to areas where law enforcement is sparse, but a check of the addresses currently listed shows a majority already live in established neighborhoods.

``We check to see that each address reported is in compliance,'' Dunkle said. ``We haven't had a problem so far.''

Dunkle also pointed out that the residence boundaries vary depending on the offense. An offender convicted of indecent exposure is not prohibited from living close to a school or park, but one convicted of sex crimes against children would be.

Registration for sexual offenders began in 1947. California was the first state to require registration and in 1996 the information became available to the public.

According to the California Department of Corrections, there are currently 400 offenders in the state system wearing Global Positioning System cuffs for monitoring. All of them are considered serious violent sexual predators.

``We use an active system that sends an alarm whenever a parolee goes into an excluded area or isn't where they are supposed to be,'' said Bill Sessa, department spokesman.

Sessa said each offender's GPS monitor is customized depending on the conditions of parole.

``For example, if their victim was a child, they could be set up to have no contact with a child, even if it was their own, which it frequently is,'' Sessa said. ``We can tell where these guys are, what time they get there, if they're at home or work or at their treatment programs. If they stray, an alarm goes off that goes to their parole officer.

State parole officers traditionally handle from 50 to 70 cases each, but those assigned to high-risk sex offenders are limited to a caseload of 20, affording for much closer supervision.

With the current caseload of high-risk sex offenders and no change to the law, Sessa said, 2,500 new GPS units would be activated within the next two years.

If Prop. 83 passes, Sessa said, the department anticipates needing 9,000 new units to accommodate the new requirements, which would also result in hiring hundreds of new parole officers and extensive computer monitoring equipment.

``The costs are undetermined at this time because there are so many unknowns about the law, but we can safely say it will take a good amount of money from the state's general fund to implement,'' he said.

``Sure it's an expensive proposition,'' Weste said. ``But I'm not sure that you can put a price tag on a child's life.''

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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