30 Sex Offenders In Woodland Hills: 2019 Halloween Safety Map

LOS ANGELES, CA — Before kids go out trick or treating on Halloween, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. Did you know that Los Angeles County currently has more than 13,900 registered sex offenders living in the region? Of those, 30 people live in Woodland Hills, according to public information listed on the California Department of Justice's Megan's Law website.

The state runs the web site, which 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 pulled from California Sex and Arson Registry.

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 below map offers a snapshot of where registered sex offenders currently reside in Woodland Hills.

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 reCAPTCHA, 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."

LIMITED ROLE

Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries can play only 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.

Related Coverage:

Sex Offender Advocates Object To Local Mapping Of Registered Sex Criminals
Why Patch Publishes Sex Offender Registry Maps

Image via Shutterstock/Patch