Registered sex offenders closely monitored in Southwest Riverside

Southwest Riverside is currently home to 851 registered sex offenders. Ensuring they comply with the law’s sex offender registration requirements falls to four very determined men.

As part of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (S.A.F.E.) Task Force for Southwest Riverside, Sgt. Bruce Smith of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Senior Investigator Matthew Remmers of the district attorney’s office, Deputy Probation Officer Sal Gomez of the county’s probation department, and Investigator Carlos Topete of the the sheriff’s department don’t have fancy offices at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Southwest Station in Temecula, but they do share a commitment to keep local residents safe from sexual predators.

The history behind the Riverside County S.A.F.E. Task Force is recent. Formed in October 2006, it is a joint effort between the district attorney’s office, the sheriff’s department, and local and state law enforcement agencies. The task force’s role is to provide a comprehensive approach for identifying, monitoring and enforcing registration requirements for sex offenders who live in Riverside County.

Today the task force comprises five regional units, including the Southwest Riverside S.A.F.E. division that formed in February 2007. At the hub of that division are Sgt. Smith, Investigator Remmers, Officer Gomez and Investigator Topete.

“Our job is to make sure the 851 registrants under our jurisdiction are in compliance with registration requirements,” Sgt. Smith said.

Prior to S.A.F.E.’s formation, keeping tabs on registered sex offenders was difficult for law enforcement.

“Much more is being done today to ensure compliancy than was done previously,” Sgt. Smith said.

Sex offenders are required by law to register their residential address with local law enforcement, which allows officials to monitor their activities, and stringency has increased. California’s Megan’s Law and public outcry have helped drive tougher standards. 

“Registrants are now required to re-register every year,” Sgt. Smith said. “During the course of the year our partner law enforcement officials do at least one home check.”

Sgt. Smith said that during the past year, home checks in Southwest Riverside were done more than once for half of the registered offenders in the area, and he expects that trend to continue.

As a result of these efforts and others, compliance with registration requirements has improved. According to Investigator Remmers, before the S.A.F.E. program was implemented, non-compliance ranged between 23 to 24 percent; today non-compliance is down to six percent.

“Of that six percent, we can pretty much account for everyone,” Investigator Remmers said.

A weekly S.A.F.E. Task Force log of non-compliancy in Southwest Riverside showed that only six non-compliant registrants are currently unaccounted for; the remaining non-compliant cases are all accounted for.

“Most of the registrants are fully compliant,” Sgt. Smith said.  “Our efforts yield better results every year.”

It’s a tall order. The Southwest Riverside S.A.F.E. Task Force oversees a vast region of registrants, including:

Aguanga -10 registrants

Anza - 21 registrants

Canyon Lake - 6 registrants

Homeland - 23 registrants

Lake Elsinore -120 registrants

Menifee (which includes Romoland, Quail Valley, and Sun City) -157 registrants

Murrieta -75 registrants

Nuevo -23 registrants

Perris -280 registrants

Temecula -72 registrants

Wildomar -30 registrants

Winchester -10 registrants

Other - 24 transient registrants

TOTAL: 851 registrants

Of Riverside County’s total registrant base of 3,408, Southwest Riverside has the highest number among the five regional units, but population may be a factor.

 ”Our number is higher,” Sgt. Smith said, “but population density has a lot to do with it.”

Sgt. Smith said that with the increased efforts on the part of S.A.F.E. and other law enforcement officials, he feels the area is safer today.

“I would suggest that people need to be alert,” he said, “But we don’t think there’s reason for alarm.

“We’re here to educate and protect,” Sgt. Smith continued. “We are a resource for the community.”

The S.A.F.E. Task Force offers extensive tips for staying safe on its Web site at www.rivcosafe.org.

Sgt. Smith also welcomes calls from local residents regarding questions about the S.A.F.E. program. Residents may contact Southwest Riverside S.A.F.E. team members directly at 951-696-3484.

Complaints regarding registered offenders should be called into the S.A.F.E. Task Force hotline at 866-SAFE-595.

Toni McAllister is SWRNN’s lifestyles editor. You can e-mail her at toni.mcallister@yahoo.com.

Tags: Aguana, Anza, canyon lake, Deputy Probation Officer Sal Gomez, homeland, Investigator Carlos Topete, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, perris, Registered sex offenders, Riverisde County Sheriff's Department, riverside county district attorney's office, Riverside County Probation Department, S.A.F.E. Task Force, Senior Investigator Matthew Remmers, Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement, Sgt. Bruce Smith, southwest riverside county, SWRNN, Temecula, wildomar, winchester

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Courts, Crime, Local News, News, Politics & Government . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.