Long Beach police unveil citywide camera system

LONG BEACH – Criminals who come to Long Beach should beware of, and remember to smile for, the cameras. That’s 400 cameras citywide, both publicly and privately owned, that have been linked to the Long Beach Police Department’s communications center as part of a new program that combines law enforcement data with real-time video feeds from parks, beaches, business corridors, the Police Department helicopters and other sources throughout the city. Full Article

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Film produced by registered sex offender pulled from festival

A movie filmed partly at Oceanside’s El Camino High School has been pulled at the last minute from the Oceanside International Film Festival, a week after organizers learned the man who made the movie is a registered sex offender. “Music High” – produced, written and directed by Mark Charles Maine of San Diego – was yanked from the lineup Wednesday, a day before the festival was scheduled to start, said festival director Dmitiry Demidov. Full Article More on this story: August 3: Film festival troubled over whether to show sex…

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Jury returns guilty verdict in murder trial of man accused of fatally stabbing neighbor

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday morning, following a day of deliberations, a jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of a Lakeport man who was accused of stabbing his neighbor to death because he wrongly believed the man was a child molester.  Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary and several special allegations for the stabbing death of Michael Dodele. The jury found him not guilty of a charge of elder abuse. Full Article

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Riding the Registry – My Tour of Broken Lives

by Marshall Burns, Ph.D.  —  Sex offender. The words strike fear in the heart and soul like no others. But who is it that wears this label? I wanted to know. So I set out to drive around the United States to meet people on the registry and hear their stories. My purpose was to gain an understanding of what it means to be a registered person in 21st-Century America. In this report, I share some of what I saw and learned on the trip. Full Article

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FBI: Child Abductions – Known Relationships Are the Greater Danger

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin – … Media news outlets have portrayed that abductors primarily consist of strangers or registered sex offenders (RSO), which has proven invalid in the past 2 fiscal years (FY). When a child is reported missing, members of the media advise parents to check sex offender registries to prevent their child from possible abduction or sexual victimization. However, FBI reporting indicates that RSOs are a minimal part of the problem. In FY 2009, an RSO was the abductor in 2 percent of child abduction cases; in FY…

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Sex offenders in county parks: just 1 of 17 waivers granted (Orange County)

When Orange County’s Board of Supervisors last year banned registered sex offenders from county parks, they included a waiver process in the ordinance so that exceptions could be made. If a sex offender worked on an asphalt crew that was paving a road in a county park, for example, he or she could apply for a waiver, Supervisor Shawn Nelson said at the time. The supervisors assigned the sheriff’s department to decide which waiver applications ought to be granted. That was in April 2011. Full Article *** Letter by OC…

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OH: Court Holds that Adam Walsh Act is Unconstitutional; Awaits Decision from Ohio Supreme Court

An Ohio Appeals court has held, again, that Ohio’s Adam Walsh Act do not apply to individuals who were originally sentenced under Megan’s Law. The court, however, is awaiting further guidance from the Ohio Supreme Court. The case is State v. Davis, 2012-Ohio-3570. In 2004, the Defendant pled guilty to sexual battery and gross sexual imposition. He was sentenced to five years probation. Pursuant to Ohio’s Megan’s Law, the sex offender registration system then in effect, the Defendant was classified as a sexually oriented offender, the least restrictive classification. As…

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OH: Community-based treatment is key for the rehabilitation of juvenile sex offenders

The state credits community-based treatment efforts, designed to deliver more effective rehabilitation and save money, for a 17 percent decline in juvenile sex offenders over a three-year period. The Ohio Department of Youth Services reported that 85 juvenile offenders were admitted into DYS in 2011 for sex-related crimes that included rape, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery. Year-to-date figures in 2012 suggest a 48 percent decrease in these type of offenders statewide. Full Article

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MN: Sex offender shoots prosecutor, 2 others in Minnesota courthouse, officials say (2011)

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — A sex offender opened fire in a northern Minnesota courthouse shortly after being convicted Thursday, injuring three people — including the local prosecutor, authorities said. The suspect, Daniel Schlienz, 42, was taken into custody after the shootings Thursday afternoon at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais, a remote town near the Canadian border, State Public Safety spokesman Doug Neville said. Schlienz, who had been on trial earlier Thursday on sexual misconduct charges. His father told the Duluth News Tribune that he went to the courthouse…

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AZ: Parents angry at law that allows sex offender to live near school

Some Mesa parents are outraged that a convicted sex offender lives near their children’s elementary school. What makes them angrier is that there is nothing they can do about it. The parents gathered at Superstition Springs Elementary School on Wednesday to pass out fliers to others dropping their children off on the first day of school. The fliers contain a picture of convicted sex offender Aaron Peeples and a warning that he lives nearby. Full Article

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U.S. Marshals target sex offenders on the run

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), there are about 500,000 convicted sex offenders across the country who do what they’re supposed to do: register themselves with the local police in their communities. But, according to NCMEC, about a 1 in 5 convicted sex offenders do not register themselves.   And local authorities don’t always have the manpower or resources to go looking for every one of them.  In response, the U.S. Marshals Service started a program called, “Operation Guardian,”  which has targeted the worst of the…

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Off Topic: NYPD unveils new $40 million super computer system that uses data from network of cameras, license plate readers and crime reports

The NYPD is starting to look like a flashy, forensic crime TV show thanks to a new super computer system unveiled Wednesday near Wall St. The Domain Awareness System designed by the NYPD and Microsoft Corp. uses data from a network of cameras, radiation detectors, license plate readers and crime reports, officials said. Full Article

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Sex Offender Appearing On ‘Our America With Lisa Ling,’ Tries To Restart Life

Travis accepted a plea deal — though he claims he’s innocent — which offered him five years probation instead of a lengthy prison sentence for indecency with a child. Within a month of cutting the deal, he violated his probation, which mandated that he couldn’t hang out with minors, and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. He was released last December, having served 16. In the show, “Our America with Lisa Ling,” Ling follows Travis during his first free days as an adult, which have proven to be filled…

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Cashing in: AlertID Now Provides Free Sex Offender Alerts to 166 Million People

AlertID, Inc., which provides a free online and mobile service for members and public safety officials, today announced that it provides alerts from state sex offender databases (“SODs”) to 166 million people or more than half (53%) of the US population. AlertID, Inc., which provides a free online and mobile service for members and public safety officials, today announced that it provides alerts from state sex offender databases (“SODs”) to 166 million people or more than half (53%) of the US population. AlertID’s sex offender alerts are now available to…

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ME: New signs help enhance penalties for sex offenders in certain parts of Houlton

HOULTON, Maine — Residents will soon see new signs posted at Community Park, the Gentle Memorial Building and local schools declaring each of those areas to be a “Sex Offender Restricted Zone.” The signs are not being placed at the locations to deal with any specific problem involving convicted sex offenders hanging around schools or playgrounds, according to Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin. Full Article

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NY: City repeals sex offender law

With little options, the City of Lockport Common Council voted to repeal a local code regarding sex offender restrictions Wednesday. In July, City Attorney John Ottaviano recommended this decision based on the recent overturning of similar local laws throughout New York state because they are more restrictive than the state law. He said courts will not uphold this local law and will not enforce it. Full Article

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