Pennsylvania State Police Taking Steps to Strengthen Enforcement of Megan's Law

2 May 2006

State Police initiatives to help track sexual offenders, and the passage of amendments to Pennsylvania's Megan's Law, have resulted in "significant improvements in the ability of law enforcement to inform and protect the commonwealth," State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said today.

But, Col. Miller called for additional changes to the law to make it even more effective.

"Pennsylvania took a giant step in making our communities safer when Governor Edward G. Rendell signed Senate Bill 92 of 2004 into law," Miller said as Auditor General Jack Wagner released his special performance audit on the administration of Pennsylvania's Megan's Law. "Among other things, that legislation enabled State Police to expand its Megan's Law Web site, which now provides photographs and other information on all active, registered sexual offenders in the state."

Before the changes, Miller said, people had to request a password to access the Web site, which listed only criminals classified as sexually violent predators (only 120 of the 8,246 active sex offenders now on the Web site are sexually violent predators).

"The Web site was expanded in January 2005 and we eliminated the password requirement," Miller said. "The expanded site received more than 400,000 visits during its first week of operation and now typically gets more than 100,000 visits a month. Knowing whether someone in your community is a registered sexual offender could help you protect yourself and your family."

Miller said Pennsylvania's Web site was one of the first five selected for inclusion in the National Sex Offender Public Registry.

Miller said State Police has made multiple upgrades to its Megan's Law Section to ensure the best possible tracking of those legally required to register with the department. These initiatives, he said, include:

-- Increasing the staff of the Megan's Law Section from three to seven

people by adding a lieutenant, two troopers and a clerk typist;

-- Creating four Megan's Law field liaison positions. Duties of these

individuals include training field personnel on Megan's Law issues,

providing assistance to the field on investigations and prosecutions

of Megan's Law violators, and providing expert witness testimony in

court proceedings for Megan's Law cases;

-- Establishing a Megan's Law toll-free number (1-866-771-3170) for the

public to contact the Megan's Law Section;

-- Providing notice to police departments each time a registered sex

offender leaves it jurisdiction;

-- Developing a computerized tracking program to maintain information on

pending registrations and investigative information on sex offenders

who fail to register;

-- Posting information on non-compliant offenders with the Pennsylvania

Criminal Intelligence Center; and

-- Providing training to state agencies, county agencies, municipal law

enforcement and judges on Megan's Law.

Miller said the State Police Megan's Law Section works closely with state agencies to ensure that it has the most current information on sex offenders. Steps taken, he said, include:

-- Cooperating with the Department of Corrections to ensure that its

staff completes a change of address form for all registered sex

offenders who enter a Department of Corrections facility;

-- Working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to develop

a process whereby PennDOT will notify the Megan's Law Section each

time a registered sex offender renews his or her driver's license or

reports a change of address;

-- Reporting quarterly to the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board the

names of any sexually violent predators who fail to report treatment

information, and

-- Working with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole to have

parole agents register and provide change of address information for

registered sex offenders supervised by the board.

Miller said he believes additional amendments to Megan's Law can make the law more effective.

"Under the Governor's leadership and with the help of the Legislature, we have taken great strides in a short period of time," he said. "But more can be done to ensure that we provide the highest possible level of protection to our citizens.

He said amendments are needed to:

-- List full address information on the Megan's Law Web site for all

registered sex offenders. Under the current law, full address

information can be listed only for sexually violent predators;

-- Increase the penalty for sex offenders who fail to comply with

Megan's Law;

-- Make it a crime for any individual to assist a registered sex

offender in circumventing their registration requirements;

-- Close a loophole in the law by requiring registration for all

individuals convicted of indecent assault when the victim is less

than 18 years old, and

-- Authorize police officers to physically verify the residence, work

and school addresses reported by a registered sex offender.

Megan's Law is named for Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender who had moved across the street from her family without their knowledge. Within two years, the federal government, every state and the District of Columbia adopted a Megan's Law.

The laws generally require the establishment of registration programs so that law enforcement will know the whereabouts of sex offenders released in their jurisdictions and notification programs so the public can be warned about sex offenders living in their community. Pennsylvania's first Megan's Law was adopted in 1995, and was amended in 2000 and 2004.

CONTACT: Tpr. Linette G. Quinn or Jack J. Lewis of the Pennsylvania State Police Department, +1-717-783-5556.

Source: prnewswire

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