Megan's Law

Megan's Law
		Megan's Law is named for Megan Kanka of New Jersey, who was murdered in 1994. Her neighbor was a twice-convicted sex offender, who allegedly lured the seven-year-old into his home on the pretext of seeing his dog - he then raped and strangled her. By 1996, the United States Congress passed legislation dubbed "Megan's Law," which required states to enact similar laws allowing for the release of relevant information to protect the public from sexual offenders. On September 25, 1996, then Governor Pete Wilson signed into law California's version of Megan's Law. The law became effective in January of 1997.

California's version of Megan's Law has made the information about registered sex offenders available to the public in three ways.

Law Enforcement agencies statewide have been given a Megan's Law CD-ROM, provided and updated by the California Department of Justice, that is available for public viewing at most agencies. Concerned citizens can also contact the California Department of Justice at #900-463-0400 and for a flat rate of $10.00, they can receive information about two registered sex offenders. Lastly, when an agency deems that an offender poses a serious threat to the community, the agency can initiate a community notification under the guidelines discussed below.
Megan Law CD-ROM

The Megan’s Law CD-ROM has information on over 75,000 registered sex offenders in the State of California. There are approximately 3,600 convicted sex offenders registered in Orange County who are listed on the CD-ROM. To view the CD-ROM it is necessary to provide valid identification. We recommend that you bring along a pen and notepad to take notes. The CD-ROM is available for viewing on desktop computers at the below listed locations:

Sheriff's Headquarters	Aliso Viejo Station	Stanton Police Services Station	San Clemente Police Services Station
Youth Groups and Sports Organizations

Westrongly encourage representatives from all youth groups and sports organizations to utilize the Megan’s Law CD-ROM. Special arrangements can be made to allow for additional time, or to adjust the hours for viewing. By viewing the CD-ROM, community and organizational leaders can identify registered sex offenders who have been placed in a position of trust or leadership over the children of our community. It is a violation of law for a registered sex offender to accept a position as an employee or volunteer worker without disclosing his status as a sex registrant.