Sheriff's Dept. doubles visits to sex offenders

Recently released statistics from the San Diego Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force show that registered sex offenders living in the Fallbrook/Bonsall area received twice the number of visits from law enforcement officers in 2010 compared to 2009.

“It’s a matter of letting them know that we are watching them,” said Sheriff’s Detective Dan Laibach.

Registered sex offenders that live in the Fallbrook/Bonsall area currently number 38. A total of 79 compliance checks were made in 2010, compared to 34 in 2009.

David Collazo, commander of the countywide SAFE Task Force, credited Laibach for his commitment to proper monitoring of the offenders.

“Laibach is very proactive; he calls us up there on a regular basis to assist with these compliance checks,” said Collazo. “He calls us up and says he wants to do an audit, so we go up there to help him out.”

Collazo said Laibach is the only detective primarily assigned to monitor the 38 offenders, which is more than a full plate.

“[Laibach] has other responsibilities as well and he has quite a few, so we try to help him contact them on a regular basis,” said Collazo.

Laibach, in turn, called the task force a “great resource.”

Collazo said his task force assisted Laibach with two sweeps in 2010.

“We did one in March and one in October,” he said. “It’s a case of getting out there more and having a goal in mind; being more aggressive and focused on what is important in the county.”

Of the compliance checks made in 2010, Laibach said all the registered sex offenders were found to be in compliance, except one, who was located a few days later.

“He had moved to another address locally, but we found and arrested him,” he said, adding that the offenders have only five days in which to file a change of address to be within compliance.

In San Diego County, over 2,062 registered sex offenders were audited in 2010, 960 more than in 2009.

Of the number of registered sex offenders residing in the Fallbrook command, compared to the overall population, Laibach said it is “about average” for the county.

The process of checking on a registered sex offender involves first reviewing their criminal history and viewing a photograph of the individual.

“We evaluate their potential for violence first, for safety purposes,” explained Collazo. “Then we knock on their door, identify ourselves as being with law enforcement and ask to speak with the individual.” Officers then verify that the individual is indeed living at the address of record and that the file correctly reflects the person’s employment, telephone (or cell) number, and vehicle they drive.

“We verify that information is current and then go on our way; most of these people are not on probation or parole,” he said.

Those that are not verified as living at their place of record are then actively investigated.

“Laibach does the follow up because he knows the Fallbrook area like the back of his hand,” said Collazo. “Then the process begins of tracking the person down.”

Making sure that a close watch is kept on felony sex offenders is paramount for two reasons, Collazo said.

“If we have an incident in the community, we have to know where these previous convicted felons of sex crimes are at all times,” he explained. “We need to know, if something happens, that we can go to door A, B, or C and know that they are living there so we can ask questions. And also, it’s important for public safety, so parents and kids know that a [registered sex offender] lives in their neighborhood.”

Laibach said while it is important to know if an offender lives in one’s neighborhood, it is for information only, not an invitation to harass the individual.

“They know who they are and where they are; people should not harass them or post flyers around the neighborhood, because there can be civil litigation if harassment occurs,” said Laibach.

To check and see where registered sex offenders live, citizens can go to the Sheriff’s Dept. website, http://www.sdsheriff.net, scroll down to the Public Resources column at the bottom of the page, click on Megan’s Law, go to the sex offender locator, and enter their zip code for a complete list.

“The Department of Justice keeps that website very current,” said Laibach.

To comment on this story online, visit http://www.thevillagenews.com.