Sex Offenders In Agoura Hills: 2020 Safety Map

AGOURA HILLS, CA — Around Halloween, it's good to know who lives in your neighborhood. Did you know that Los Angeles County currently has more than 14,190 registered sex offenders living in the region?

The state runs a website that provides information on registered sex offenders, pursuant to California Penal Code § 290.46 "...so that members of the public can better protect themselves and their families." The information is taken from the California Sex and Arson Registry.

According to the website, there are seven registered sex offenders in Agoura Hills, though the map only shows five: one is not listed with an address, and another is counted three times because he has two homes in Agoura Hills and one in Santa Monica listed. You may want to avoid trick or treating at these houses and apartments on Halloween, or merely be aware of who's living in your neighborhood during the rest of the year. The map below shows current registered offenders.

A look at the sex offenders living in Agoura Hills as of Oct. 27, 2020. Credit: California Megan's Law / Google Maps

VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP

Here's how to find a map of sex offenders in your California community. First, visit the Megan's Law home page. On the right hand side of the page, you can enter an address and hit "search." There's some information and a disclaimer you'll need to read; scroll to the bottom, click that you've read the info (once you have, of course) and click "continue."

Once you've arrived at the search page, you can use the menu on the left side of the screen to search by name, address, city, ZIP code or county. If you're doing a city search, click on "city" and start typing the name in the empty field on the right-hand side. Click "search."

NOT ALL OFFENDERS LISTED

It's important to keep in mind that the Megan's Law site does not list every sex offender living in the community. Under California's Penal Code section 290, the DOJ is only authorized to display certain types of sex offenders online, according to the agency.

People who have been convicted of a registrable sexual offense that falls into one of the following categories can apply for exclusion from Megan's Law website:

• Felony sexual battery by restraint (Pen. Code § 243.4, subd. (a))
• Misdemeanor child molestation (Pen. Code § 647.6), or former section 647(a)
• Any offense which did not involve penetration or oral copulation, the victim of which was a child, stepchild, grandchild, or sibling of the offender, and for which the offender successfully completed or is successfully completing probation
• Felony child pornography conviction (Pen. Code §§ 311.1, 311.2 subd. (b), (c) or (d), or Pen. Code §§ 311.3, 311.4, 311.10, or 311.11) where the victim was at least 16 years of age or older

What's more, on any given offender profile, take note of the statement which reads "The Department of Justice has no information about a subsequent felony incarceration for this registrant."

Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries play a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the child.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the National Sex Offender Public Website, estimates that only about 10 percent of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are strangers to the child.

The Justice Department estimates 60 percent of perpetrators are known to the child but are not family members but rather family friends, babysitters, child care providers and others, and 30 percent of child victims are abused by family members. Nearly a quarter of the abusers are under the age of 18, the department estimates.

The Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers, a nonprofit organization for clinicians, researchers, educators, law enforcement and court officials involved in sexual abuse cases, cautions that children do not face a heightened risk during the Halloween season: "There is no change in the rate of sexual crimes by non-family members during Halloween. That was true both before and after communities enacted laws to restrict the activities of registrants during Halloween. The crimes that do increase around Halloween are vandalism and property destruction, as well as theft, assault, and burglary."

Related Coverage:

• NARSOL Objects To Local Mapping Of Registered Sex Offenders
• Why Patch Publishes Sex Offender Registry Maps