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MEGAN’S LAW | SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY
Sex Offender Registration Requirements & Information
Contact Information:
Investigations Unit
Schedule: By appointment only
Call: (831) 758-7190
Megan's Law Information
Megan's Law Background
Salinas Police Department Program: Sex Offender Registration Enforcement Team
Megan’s Law Background
Since 1947, California has required dangerous sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agencies. However, information on the whereabouts of these sex offenders was not available to the public until the implementation of the Child Molester Identification Line in July 1995. California’s Megan’s Law further expanded the information available in 1996.
Megan’s Law is named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a known child molester who had moved across the street from the family without their knowledge. In the wake of the tragedy, the Kanka’s sought to have local communities warned about sex offenders in the area.
Now, California’s Megan’s Law arms the public with certain information on the whereabouts of dangerous sex offenders so those members of our local communities may protect themselves and their children. The law also authorizes local law enforcement to notify the public about high-risk and serious sex offenders who reside in, are employed in, or frequent the community.
SPD's Sex Registration Enforcement Team
When was the program created and why?
The Salinas Police Department’s Sex Registration Enforcement Team works in reference to California Penal Code section 290, which covers all sex registration laws.
The team is part of the Investigations Unit and is committed to ensuring sex registrants living within Salinas are in compliance and take enforcement actions on those that are failing to comply. The unit works closely with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes cases involving sex registrants who are out of compliance.
On January 1st, 2021, Senate Bill (SB 384) transitioned California’s lifetime sex offender registration schema to a tier-based schema. SB 384 established three tiers of registration for adult registrants to periods for 10 years, 20 years, and life, and two tiers of registration for juvenile registrants for periods of 5 years and 10 years. This new law requires the registrant to petition the Superior Court or Juvenile Court for termination of their sex offender registration requirement based on their eligible tier.
The California Department of Justice, Office of Attorney General will address any questions regarding the petition process. For more information about Senate Bill 384 (SB 384), please refer to their website at: https://oag.ca.gov/sex-offender-reg
How to Register
How to Register
For more information about Senate Bill 384 (SB 384), which requires certain individuals to register, please refer to the website at: https://oag.ca.gov/sex-offender-reg.
If you are currently a registrant in Monterey County and you have questions or need help, contact the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office for a free and confidential case evaluation.
To contact us at Salinas Police Department to register, please contact the Investigations Unit at Call: (831) 758-7190 to set up an appointment.