RIVERSIDE COUNTY SAFER WITH SAFE TEAM

RIVERSIDE, CA – FEBRUARY 4, 2009: The Riverside County SAFE team made significant gains from 2007 to 2008 in their efforts to conduct investigations and monitor known sexual predators in Riverside County. The SAFE team is made possible through the collaboration of multi-disciplined law enforcement agencies including; the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Riverside County Probation Department, California State Parole, California Department of Justice, Banning Police Department and Corona Police Department.

“Protecting our community from sex offenders should remain a top priority for all of those involved so that the SAFE team can continue to remove the immediate threat that sexual predators pose to the citizens of Riverside County,” said District Attorney Rod Pacheco.

With 500 new sex offenders moving into or returning from prison to Riverside County each year, the already large sex offender population of over 3,250 is growing quickly and its faces are changing daily.

In 2008, the SAFE Team:

• Conducted 4,238 compliance investigations – 103% increase from 2007
• Registered 125 new sex offenders – 95% increase from 2007
• Executed 121 search warrants – 227% increase from 2007
• Arrested 603 predators posing an immediate threat – an increase 96% from 2007
• Resulted in 292 filed criminal cases – increase from 73% in 2007

These dramatic numbers are even more significant when we consider that, prior to November of 2006, no collective effort was being made to conduct compliance investigations leaving the entire sex-offender population essentially on their own “honor system.”

“Our community is safer knowing that there were significantly less sex offenders roaming our neighborhoods in 2008 than in 2007 and we can be confident that there will be even less at the close of 2009. This team has experienced unprecedented success in our county’s first ever comprehensive approach to protecting ourselves from sex offenders. Riverside County leaders are to thank for allowing this effort to achieve success by providing valuable resources and support,” concluded Pacheco.