Sex offender bill moving on in system

Bill would heighten restrictions on registered sex offenders and up jail time for some. GLENDALE -- A bill that would increase penalties for certain sex offenses and heighten the restrictions on registered sex offenders would be effective in deterring criminal behavior and keeping local communities safe, police say.

Assembly Bill 50, which went before the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, looks to increase jail time for certain offenses, create county and regional teams to monitor sex offenders and design treatment programs for offenders, the bill's author Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said.

"Realistically, from a law enforcement standpoint, anything that increases penalties for predatory sex offenders is important," Glendale Police Lt. Don Meredith said. "And I'm talking about those who go out looking to offend. I'm not talking about the kid who was in the back seat of his '65 Chevy with his underage girlfriend."

The bill would increase jail time for those convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 from eight to 10 years, and would prohibit violent sex offenders from stepping foot on school property unless they have a child enrolled there or are permitted to be there, Leno said.

It would also create a sex offender treatment program for high-risk offenders on parole and an in-custody relapse prevention program for high-risk offenders in jail who are two years away from parole, he said.

In addition, the bill would increase parole from five to 10 years for offenders convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child, he said.

"Effective enforcement and incarceration is the most effective deterrent we can have," Meredith said. "[Offenders] need to be incarcerated, they need to be monitored when they are released, and they need to be monitored for their activities."

Glendale has 89 registered sex offenders living in the city, according to the Megan's Law website, which lists offenders by location.

Glendale's numbers are higher than neighboring Burbank -- which has 58 registrants -- but based on population, the two cities average about the same number of offenders, and there are no high-risk sex offenders living in the city, Glendale Police Det. Mike Stilton said.

"I would suspect we're higher than Burbank because we have over twice the population," he said.

One of the most troubling issues with current sex offender laws and registration requirements is the amount of responsibility placed on the registrant, Stilton said.