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Published on 07/27/1998 All articles from this issue

Megan's Law, one year later

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue

Town Crier Staff Writer

How information access on sex offenders has helped residents

In the Los Altos area, 49 people have a lighter heart today than they did a year ago. And 10 more may be safer.

During the 12 months that Megan's Law has made information about sex offenders available to the public on CD-ROMs and through police disclosure, 49 people have come to the Los Altos Police Department to view the CD. And as many as 10 more were warned by police, during a car stop in Los Altos, that the person they were with was a registered sex offender.

The CD "has given a lot of people peace of mind," said Sgt. Mark Macaulay of the Los Altos Police Department.

"I'm glad we were able to do it," Los Altos Police Department Chief Lucy Carlton said about the car-stop notification. "We feel we have an obligation to notify people in the car."

Of the 66,000-plus registered sex offenders in California, 3,300 of whom live in Santa Clara County, only eight, "a low number," Macaulay said, live in the Los Altos area. This includes Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and the unincorporated parts of Los Altos.

Of those eight, six live in the 94022 zip code and two are in 94024. No addresses are given on the CD.

Most of the offenders are listed with a color photo. Other information includes birth date, a physical description and the charges for which the person was convicted.

During the 12 months the CD has been available, only "one person recognized someone, but they already had an idea he lived in the city," Macaulay said. "People are concerned about their neighborhood."

Those looking at the CD include school people, parents and "people checking out the area before they're moving in," Macaulay said.

Offenders are classified as high risk, which means they are repeat offenders or were involved in a particularly violent crime or a kidnapping; or they are classified as serious, which means a single offense but a crime where "somebody has physically put their hands on someone," Macaulay said.

There are no high-risk offenders in the Los Altos area. Statewide there are 1,700, with 96 in the county.

In the last 12 months, two registered offenders have moved out of the Los Altos area and two have moved in.

The Los Altos Police Department "checks a couple of times a year to verify the address" of registered offenders, Macaulay said.

The policy within the county is to disclose the address of high risk offenders, Macaulay said, but generally not to indicate the location of serious offenders.

In cases of some registered in Los Altos, Macaulay said, the offense may have happened 15 or 20 years ago and the person has gotten his life on track. The police do not feel a disclosure is necessary in that case, he said.

But they do disclose during car stops, Macaulay said.

"I'm sure they'd like to know who they're riding around with," Carlton said, "when their safety might be in danger."

For instance, Carlton said, a student's car may break down, and she hitches a ride with a man. Later they are stopped by police and he turns out to be a registered sex offender.

Megan's Law allows the officer to take the student aside, Carlton said, and let her know who she's with.

"She may opt to have the officer bring her back to the station and find other transportation," Carlton said.

"It's a relief for the officers. When you have that information and you can't share it, it is disturbing to the officers.

Carlton said she believes the Megan's Law CD-ROM is a tool for law enforcement as well as a "tool for the community. I would encourage any and all to come in and check."

The CD-ROM is available to the public, for a 15-minute viewing, on Thursdays, from 1-2 p.m., by appointment. For more information, call 948-8223.