http://meganslaw.ca.gov
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Megan's Law Web site raises safety issue for schools
Officials weighing how to deal with online list of sex offenders
Friday, December 17, 2004
By DONNA HOROWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sue Field, superintendent of the Bennett Valley Union School District in Santa Rosa, got her first glimpse of the Megan's Law Web site Thursday, and she was amazed.
As she perused the mug shot of a sex offender on the state-run Internet site, one of at least four who live near one of her two elementary schools, she was taken aback.
"I'm surprised at how much detail this site is going into," she said.
At first she wasn't sure how she'd respond if parents called.
But after some thought, she decided to make the information available to teachers, along with the Web site's suggestions on how parents can keep their children safe.
Field was among educators and parenting experts in Sonoma County who grappled Thursday with how to respond to the Web site - www.meganslaw.ca.gov - that provides more detailed and accessible information on sex offenders than ever before.
The site, unveiled Wednesday by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, allows the public to search a database with more than 63,000 registered sex offenders, including the home addresses of 33,500 of the most serious offenders.
"We had 3 million successful hits in the first 24 hours," said Miriam Bedrosian, spokeswoman with the Attorney General's Office.
"We're running 60 hits per second right now," she said Thursday afternoon.
Bedrosian conceded there have been glitches as the overwhelmed system shut down at times, inaccuracies were discovered and some offenders themselves asked how they could get their names removed.
Field, responsible for 1,000 elementary students at Strawberry and Yulupa schools, said her staff already has procedures in place to keep youngsters safe, such as requiring them to take a buddy for a bathroom break or asking visitors to wear badges.
"Parents know their children better than anyone, and they need to think about what kind of information their own child needs to help keep them safe," Field said.
She said, for example, a parent might want to designate a neighbor's house on the route home so a child can stop by if he or she feels worried after passing the home of a registered sex offender.
"They need to have enough information to help keep them safe, but not fearful," Field said. "We don't want mass hysteria here."
Armando Flores, superintendent of the three-school, 1,700-student Bellevue School District in Santa Rosa, said he plans to inform parents about the Web site.
"We'll send them a note that there's been an identification (of an offender) in their area and ask them to please check the Web site to get specific information," he said.
If the parent doesn't have a computer, he said the district will provide access to one at school.
"I think you have to be vigilant without violating the (offender's) civil rights," Flores said. "I think if we sent home addresses and names, I think that would be very marginal. I would not want to do that."
Grace Harris, program coordinator with California Parenting Institute, a family resource center in Santa Rosa that sees 8,000 parents and children a year, said although she likes the idea of more information for parents, she hopes they don't overreact.
She believes the site will be helpful to parents in assessing whether they should allow their children to spend time at friends' homes.
"The parent part of me likes it," Harris said. "The other part of me wonders, how do they distinguish between offenders if some people are unjustly accused?"
Lockyer has acknowledged about 20 percent of the database is inaccurate. He said he hoped any mistakes would be cleared up when police and the public call with problems.
Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Steve Bair said his investigators already have found errors.
"There are people who are registered in Santa Rosa (on the Web site) we've never seen here," he said.
One sex offender, a serial rapist, listed as being in the unincorporated part of the county, is actually in prison, he said.
"We're going to have to work through these," Bair said. "We knew some of this was going to happen."
Bair said Santa Rosa police got a call Thursday from a sex offender who found himself on the Web site, although he applied to the state to be excluded - a step that's allowed in certain cases for people with more minor records.
The Rev. Robert Gutleben, executive director of Specialized Treatment Services, a Sebastopol group that works with first-time sex offenders, has mixed feelings about the Web site.
"They're going to be quickly spotted in their neighborhoods," he said of offenders. "If they're trying to work with their pathologies and problems to correct their behaviors, this isn't going to help them."
But as a grandfather with a 6-year-old grandson living with him, Gutleben said he wants to know if a two-time sex-offender lives in his neighborhood.
"You bet I want to know who they are," he said.
Officials weighing how to deal with online list of sex offenders
Friday, December 17, 2004
By DONNA HOROWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sue Field, superintendent of the Bennett Valley Union School District in Santa Rosa, got her first glimpse of the Megan's Law Web site Thursday, and she was amazed.
As she perused the mug shot of a sex offender on the state-run Internet site, one of at least four who live near one of her two elementary schools, she was taken aback.
"I'm surprised at how much detail this site is going into," she said.
At first she wasn't sure how she'd respond if parents called.
But after some thought, she decided to make the information available to teachers, along with the Web site's suggestions on how parents can keep their children safe.
Field was among educators and parenting experts in Sonoma County who grappled Thursday with how to respond to the Web site - www.meganslaw.ca.gov - that provides more detailed and accessible information on sex offenders than ever before.
The site, unveiled Wednesday by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, allows the public to search a database with more than 63,000 registered sex offenders, including the home addresses of 33,500 of the most serious offenders.
"We had 3 million successful hits in the first 24 hours," said Miriam Bedrosian, spokeswoman with the Attorney General's Office.
"We're running 60 hits per second right now," she said Thursday afternoon.
Bedrosian conceded there have been glitches as the overwhelmed system shut down at times, inaccuracies were discovered and some offenders themselves asked how they could get their names removed.
Field, responsible for 1,000 elementary students at Strawberry and Yulupa schools, said her staff already has procedures in place to keep youngsters safe, such as requiring them to take a buddy for a bathroom break or asking visitors to wear badges.
"Parents know their children better than anyone, and they need to think about what kind of information their own child needs to help keep them safe," Field said.
She said, for example, a parent might want to designate a neighbor's house on the route home so a child can stop by if he or she feels worried after passing the home of a registered sex offender.
"They need to have enough information to help keep them safe, but not fearful," Field said. "We don't want mass hysteria here."
Armando Flores, superintendent of the three-school, 1,700-student Bellevue School District in Santa Rosa, said he plans to inform parents about the Web site.
"We'll send them a note that there's been an identification (of an offender) in their area and ask them to please check the Web site to get specific information," he said.
If the parent doesn't have a computer, he said the district will provide access to one at school.
"I think you have to be vigilant without violating the (offender's) civil rights," Flores said. "I think if we sent home addresses and names, I think that would be very marginal. I would not want to do that."
Grace Harris, program coordinator with California Parenting Institute, a family resource center in Santa Rosa that sees 8,000 parents and children a year, said although she likes the idea of more information for parents, she hopes they don't overreact.
She believes the site will be helpful to parents in assessing whether they should allow their children to spend time at friends' homes.
"The parent part of me likes it," Harris said. "The other part of me wonders, how do they distinguish between offenders if some people are unjustly accused?"
Lockyer has acknowledged about 20 percent of the database is inaccurate. He said he hoped any mistakes would be cleared up when police and the public call with problems.
Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Steve Bair said his investigators already have found errors.
"There are people who are registered in Santa Rosa (on the Web site) we've never seen here," he said.
One sex offender, a serial rapist, listed as being in the unincorporated part of the county, is actually in prison, he said.
"We're going to have to work through these," Bair said. "We knew some of this was going to happen."
Bair said Santa Rosa police got a call Thursday from a sex offender who found himself on the Web site, although he applied to the state to be excluded - a step that's allowed in certain cases for people with more minor records.
The Rev. Robert Gutleben, executive director of Specialized Treatment Services, a Sebastopol group that works with first-time sex offenders, has mixed feelings about the Web site.
"They're going to be quickly spotted in their neighborhoods," he said of offenders. "If they're trying to work with their pathologies and problems to correct their behaviors, this isn't going to help them."
But as a grandfather with a 6-year-old grandson living with him, Gutleben said he wants to know if a two-time sex-offender lives in his neighborhood.
"You bet I want to know who they are," he said.
There's one of those fucker's livin right by me on the next street over! Shit, I dare that motherfucker to even look at my nieces & nephews sideways so he can catch a hot one right between his fuckin pedophiles eyes! I doubt that he'll fuck with anyone from the "G" though, those cat's ain't callin the cops, just might see a motherfucker strung up in the middle of the block on the evening news. Gotta make my rounds around this bitch today.
damn, here go sicx, that fuckin crazy. he look like he gettin tore back in prison.
http://meganslaw.ca.gov/cgi/prosoma...chBy=namelist&id=&docountycitylist=2&OFDTYPE=
http://meganslaw.ca.gov/cgi/prosoma...chBy=namelist&id=&docountycitylist=2&OFDTYPE=
