42 Sex Offenders Living In Petaluma: 2020 Safety Map
PETALUMA, CA — Although kids most likely will not go trick or treating this Halloween because of the coronavirus, parents can still take an inventory of who is living in their neighborhood. Petaluma currently has 42 registered sex offenders, three fewer than were living in the city this time last year, according to public information listed on the California Department of Justice's Megan's Law Website.
The state runs the website, which provides information on registered sex offenders, pursuant to California Penal Code § 290.46, "... so that members of the public can better protect themselves and their families." The information is pulled from California Sex and Arson Registry.
According to state officials, there are currently 604 registered sex offenders in Sonoma County, 119 of whom are transients known to stay within the county.
The below maps from the state's Megan's Law website show where sex offenders are registered as living in Petaluma and Sonoma County as of Oct. 20, 2020. Blue markers show registered sex offenders, while red markers show registered sex offenders currently accused of being in violation of their registration requirements; a marker with a white plus sign means there are multiple offenders living at one location. It should be noted that yellow markers indicate "sexually violent offenders," none of whom showed up in Patch's search of Petaluma.
VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
Here's how to find and view an interactive map of sex offenders in your California community. First, visit the Megan's Law home page. On the right side of the page, you can enter an address and hit "search."
There's some information and a disclaimer you'll need to read; scroll to the bottom, click that you've read the info (once you have, of course) and reCAPTCHA, and click "continue."
Once you've arrived at the search page, you can use the menu on the left side of the screen to search by name, address, city, ZIP code or county. If you're doing a city search, click on "city" and start typing the city name in the empty field on the left side of the page. Click "search" to generate an interactive map. The number at the top of the map indicates how many postable offenders have addresses in the city. Click on "Show List" to see a list of offenders' names and addresses, as well as transients and those who are in violation, according to the Department of Justice, of registering in their city of residence.
NOT ALL OFFENDERS LISTED
It's important to keep in mind that the Megan's Law site does not list every sex offender living in the community. Under California's Penal Code section 290, the DOJ is only authorized to display certain types of sex offenders online, according to the agency.
People who have been convicted of a registrable sexual offense that falls into one of the following categories can apply for exclusion from Megan's Law website:
Felony sexual battery by restraint (Pen. Code § 243.4, subd. (a))
Misdemeanor child molestation (Pen. Code § 647.6), or former section 647(a)
Any offense which did not involve penetration or oral copulation, the victim of which was a child, stepchild, grandchild, or sibling of the offender, and for which the offender successfully completed or is successfully completing probation
Felony child pornography conviction (Pen. Code §§ 311.1, 311.2 subd. (b), (c) or (d), or Pen. Code §§ 311.3, 311.4, 311.10, or 311.11) where the victim was at least 16 years of age or older
What's more, on any given offender profile, take note of the statement which reads "The Department of Justice has no information about a subsequent felony incarceration for this registrant."
LIMITED ROLE
Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries play a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the child.
The U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the National Sex Offender Public Website, estimates that only about 10 percent of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are strangers to the child.
The Justice Department estimates 60 percent of perpetrators are known to the child but are not family members but rather family friends, babysitters, child care providers and others, and 30 percent of child victims are abused by family members. Nearly a quarter of the abusers are under the age of 18, the department estimates.
The Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers, a nonprofit organization for clinicians, researchers, educators, law enforcement and court officials involved in sexual abuse cases, cautions that children do not face a heightened risk during the Halloween season: "There is no change in the rate of sexual crimes by non-family members during Halloween. That was true both before and after communities enacted laws to restrict the activities of registrants during Halloween. The crimes that do increase around Halloween are vandalism and property destruction, as well as theft, assault, and burglary."
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This article originally appeared on the Petaluma Patch
