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Megan's Law
Frequently Asked Questions |
1.
When are sex offenders required to register with local
authorities?
2. What is PC 290?
3. What are the
Sex Registration Classifications?
4. How do I view the
Megan's Law Web Application?
5. How can I obtain
information by the telephone?
6. What information
will the Megan's Law Web Application provide?
7. Is the
information on Megan's Web Application accurate?
8. If I have an address
I suspect an offender lives, will the Megan's Law Web Application tell me?
9. Does the map
show all the offenders in Fontana?
10. Is it a crime if a sex
offender does not register?
11. I know of a sex offender who did
not register when he/she recently moved to a new location, what should I
do?
12. If I have a question regarding
the High Risk Offender map, who should I contact?
13. What do I do if I see a "dot" in
my neighborhood?
1. When are sex offenders required to register
with local authorities?
Sex offenders are required to register with local
law enforcement agencies within five working days of being released from a
local jail or state prison or completion of any alternate sentence.
Sex offenders also must re-register every year within five working days of
his or her birthday, moving, or changing his or her name. With few
exceptions, the registration requirement is a lifetime mandate.
During annual registration, the registered sex offender is required to
verify his or her name and address or temporary location. Failure to
register properly may be a felony and may count as a "Third Strike" (Penal
Code Section 290).
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2. What is
PC 290?
PC 290 refers to California
Penal Code Section 290, the law that requires sex offender registration.
Section 290 of the California Penal Code requires people convicted of
certain sexual offenses to register with the local law enforcement agency
responsible for the jurisdiction in which they reside within 5 working
days of their birthday, and within 5 working days of changing their
address. This is a requirement for the rest of their lives. If they fail
to register on time, they are in violation of the law. If they fail to
notify their local police agency when they move in or out of the city,
they are in violation of the law. If they provide false or deceptive
information about where they are living, they are in violation of the law.
The Fontana Police Department has a team of officers assigned specifically
to monitoring and tracking sex registrants and routinely send cases to the
District Attorney’s Office for filing of 290 PC violations.
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3. What are the
Sex Registration Classifications?
The Sex Registrant
Classifications are High Risk, Serious and Other. For more
information on the classifications,
click here. Return to the top
4. How do I view the
Megan's Law Web Application?
Megan's Law Database is free
and available for public viewing at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department. To view the Megan’s Law Web Application, you must:
be at least 18
years of age: or accompanied by parent or legal guardian: - provide a California driver’s
license or California identification card;
-
sign a statement
that you are not a registered sex offender; that you understand the
purpose of the release of information is for the public to protect
themselves and their children from sex offenders; and that it is illegal
to use the information to harass, discriminate or commit a crime against
any registrant;
-
state a distinct
purpose for viewing the Megan’s Law Web Application, if required by
local law enforcement.
You may contact San
Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at (909) 356-6767 for further
information.
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5. How can I obtain
information by the telephone?
An alternative to the Megan's Law Web Application is the California
Department of Justice Child Molester Identification Line at
1-(900)-448-3000. The cost is $10.00 per call for information on up to two
subjects. Your phone number will be recorded and you will be charged
automatically. Hours are Monday - Friday from 9:30a.m. to 6:30p.m. When
you call, you may find out if someone you know is one of California's
registered sex offenders. To have access to this information, you must be
18 years or older, will be asked to identify yourself, and must have
reasonable suspicion that a child is at risk. You will need the subject's
name and address, or birth date, or Social Security information. You need
to provide the person's name and at least five of the following; height,
weight, hair color, eye color, ethnicity/race, description of scars,
tattoos, or birthmarks. For more information contact the California
Department of Justice, Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis, PO Box
903387, Sacramento CA 94203-3870.
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6. What information
will the Megan's Law Web Application provide?
The Megan's Law Database
will provide:
-
Name (and known aliases)
-
Age and sex
-
Photograph (if
available)
-
Physical
description (including scars, marks, and tattoos)
-
Sex offense(s)
-
County and zip
code (based on last registration)
The Database can
only be searched by entering the name of an offender, or by entering a ZIP
code. For example, if you type in the name of a sex offender, all the
above information for that offender will be displayed. If you type in a
zip code, the above information for all offenders residing within that ZIP
code will be displayed. By law, the residential address of registered sex
offenders is NOT public information.
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7. Is the
information on Megan's Web Application accurate?
The Megan’s Law Application
uses the latest technology to provide accurate and up-to-date information.
The web application reflects that information provided by sex offenders as
a condition of their registration requirements. The majority of
California’s registered sex offenders are in compliance with their
registration requirements. However, zip codes may not be up-to-date on sex
offenders who fail to comply.
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8. If I
have an address I suspect an offender lives, will the Megan's Law Web
Application tell me?
Unfortunately no. By law,
the residential address of a sex offender is NOT public information. In
other words, you cannot determine who actually resides near a dot on the
map. You will only be able to search the Megan's Law Web Application by
providing the name of the offender, or viewing all of the offenders in a
particular ZIP code.
The purpose of these maps is to alert
citizens of the potential danger that may live near them, which may prompt
them to view the Megan's Law Web Application. Although you may not
immediately recognize an offender from the application, we hope that
viewing the application will increase your awareness of potential dangers
to your child. Often, persons will recognize the photograph of an offender
as someone they have seen, or maybe even spoken with, in their
neighborhood.
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9. Does the map
show all the offenders in Fontana?
No. Many registered sex
offenders may be homeless and registered as "transient". Their location
will not be depicted upon these maps. Also, you must consider the fact
that many registered sex offenders may not live in our area, but attend
school or work within the city. Registrants that attend schools ARE now
required to register with the school campus police where they attend
school or, if the school has no campus police, they must register with the
agency having jurisdiction over the campus.
We try to update the
maps as often as possible (usually once a month). You should consider that
a sex offender may have moved into or out of your neighborhood since the
last update.
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10. Is it a crime if a sex
offender does not register?
Yes. If a sex offender fails
to register in accordance with PC 290, they are guilty of a crime. If the
offender was originally convicted of a misdemeanor offense, then their
first violation is a misdemeanor offense. Any subsequent convictions for
failing to register will be charged as a felony. The violator will be
subject to incarceration in the state prison for a period of 16 months, 2
or 3 years. An offender, who fails to register as the result of a felony
conviction, is guilty of a felony and is subject to imprisonment for 16
months, 2 or 3 years. There are exceptions to this rule, but the
above is a synopsis of the general rule for violations.
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11. I know of a sex offender who did
not register when he/she recently moved to a new location, what should I
do?
Do not contact the offender.
You should immediately contact the police agency that has jurisdiction in
that area. You may contact the Fontana Police Department 290 Team by
calling (909) 350-7720. Please be ready to provide as much information
regarding the offender as possible, including name, physical description
(race, height, weight, hair / eye color) and their current location.
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12. If I have a question regarding
the High Risk Offender map, who should I contact?
You may contact the Fontana
Police Departments 290 Team at (909) 350-7720 for any questions regarding
these maps. For any questions regarding the Megan's Law Web Application
viewing process, you should contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department at (909) 356-6767.
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13. What do I do if I see a "dot" in
my neighborhood?
If you are concerned about a
dot depicted on the maps, you should arrange to view Megan's Law Web
Application at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department or by
calling the California Department of Justice Hotline at 1-900-448-3000.
Keep in mind these
maps show only the "general area" where a registered sex offender resides
and is not to scale. We try to update the map once a month. Keep in
mind that this leaves the possibility that a sex offender is not
represented at the time you viewed the map, or may have moved from the
area.
The Fontana Police
Department has no authority to dictate where a registered sex offender
lives. If the offender is on probation or parole, they may have conditions
that restrict where they live.
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Sex
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