Local transient sex offenders impossible to track

11-2-2007 California:


SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

A dangerous trend in California as the number of transient sex offenders has risen by 27 percent since Jessica's Law went into effect.

Here are the Facts First:

Jessica's Law was passed by 70 percent of voters last year.
It bars registered sex offenders in California from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park.
The law was named for nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford who was kidnapped, raped and buried alive in Florida two years ago.
Many convicted sex offenders have avoided the residency restriction by registering as transients.

Some simply can't find anywhere to live because most residential areas are within 2,000 feet of a school or park.

More than three dozen convicted sex offenders are roaming the Central Coast with virtually no supervision.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department has detectives dedicated to tracking them but even they find it almost impossible to keep tabs on homeless registrants.

"We don't really have a way of tracking them because they are transient. We don't really have any place to find them to check on compliance," said Commander Brian Hascall.

In July 2006, there were 26 transient sex offenders in San Luis Obispo County. Now, there are 38.

Victims advocates find this alarming.

"I think it makes the whole community feel uneasy as well as victims," said Sexual Assault Prevention and Recovery Executive Director Jennifer Adams.

Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo County Child Abuse Prevention Council Lisa Fraser says parents should be concerned but not overly frightened of transient sex offenders.

According to Fraser, the majority of repeat child predators know their victims.

"It's usually a person who is a relative or a friend or someone that is close to the child in a way that they've gained trust."

Almost everyone we talked to agreed that Jessica's Law was passed with public safety in mind but has had some unfortunate consequences.

"It's kind of a double edged sword," said Hascall.

Governor Schwarzenegger's advisory panel on sex offenders is preparing a report urging lawmakers to address the problems related to Jessica's Law. ..more.. by Amy Andrews