Santa Clara County's Multi-Pronged Protections Against Sexual Offenses

Each year thousands of children are victims of sexual attacks. On many occasions these acts are committed by violent criminals, however, they are committed on several times by a relative, a friend, or a family acquaintance.

There are over 2,100 registered sex offenders in Santa Clara County, according to the Office of the Attorney General. However, not all sex offenders have been caught, convicted or registered. There were 352 rapes in the county in 2009, 258 of them in San Jose. These numbers show the vulnerability of any person to an attack from a sex offender. Parents have the enormous responsibility for their children's protection, and preventative measures can help avoid a tragic outcome.

Sex offenders have had to register since 1996, when Megan's law was enacted. The law is named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by her neighbor, a known child molester, but not known to Megan's family. This law states that public safety authorities should publicly display detailed information of convicts of sexual related crimes. This means that the more serious and dangerous sex offenders have to register, obligatorily, with their respective Police Department.

People may access the information to sex offenders on the internet, at www.meganslaw.ca.gov, or people can obtain a Megan's Law CD, which is available with the San Jose Police Department. This CD has the sex offenders' information that live in your neighborhood, that include pictures, aliases, criminal background, and a detailed physical information, such as birth marks or tattoos. To access this information you have to be at least 18 years old, and to obtain the CD an identification card is needed, such as a California driver's license, and people need to sign a form in which the information disclosed in the CD is explained.

SJPD recommends constant mutual and trusting communication between parents and their children, to talk to them confidently and without fears. They say to instruct your children about acceptable conduct. Police say many of the sex offenders act non-violently. "Many of these individuals use different methods to achieve their misdeeds, for example, they try to befriend the children and the parents, and earn both their trust, so that eventually the parents can trust to leave their children alone with the individual," said Adriana Torres, social services assistant of the Child Protective Services of California (CPS).

This issue is very delicate for the parents, and many are aware that the criminal is even closer than what they would think. "We ask our daughters not to say hello or talk to strangers, but these girls don't listen. Sex offenders can be your neighbors, someone in your family, you never know," said Delia Suarez, mother of two girls, and an East side San Jose resident.

The Police Department corroborates that the sex offender might be someone close to the children's family, and thus, if you know of any person shows too much attentiveness to your child, it is your responsibility to know more about this individual.

Should you be suspicious of this person, you may bring his name to the Police Department, and they may investigate him or her immediately, and provide you with any related information.

To obtain more information, you may call (408) 277-4125.