
Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Department
Public Disclosure of Registered Sex Offenders Information
Level Three Sex Offenders
Level Two Sex Offenders
Transient Sex Offenders
Registered
Sex Offenders (Table View)
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Department has established
this web site to provide information to the public about
Level III registered sex offenders who are living in our
community.
This
notification is not intended to increase fear; rather it
is our belief that an informed public is a safer public.
Sex
offenders have always lived in our communities and law enforcement
has no legal authority to direct where sex offenders may
or may not live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist,
an offender is Constitutionally free to live wherever he
or she chooses. However, the Community Protection Act of
1990 requires that those convicted of sex offenses must
register, with the primary legislative intent, "to assist
law enforcement agencies' efforts to protect their communities"
by providing relevant and necessary information.
The
Sheriff releases sex offender information pursuant to RCW
4.24.550 which authorizes law enforcement to release information
to the public regarding sex offenders when the agency determines
that disclosure of information is relevant and necessary
to protect the public and to counteract the danger created
by the particular offender. The content of the information
made available, as well as where and how the information
is disseminated, is restricted to the standards set forth
in Chapter 4.24 and by the Washington State Supreme Court
ruling in State v. Ward, 123 WA 2d 488 (1994).
The
Washington State Legislature has determined that the extent
of the public disclosure of relevant and necessary information
shall be related to: (a) the level of risk posed by the
offender to the community; (b) the location where the offender
resides, intends to reside, or is regularly found; and (c)
the needs of the affected community members for information
to enhance their individual and collective safety.
Level
I. Low risk to re-offend within the community at large.
Information shall be shared with other law enforcement agencies
and, upon request, the Sheriff may disclose relevant, necessary
and accurate information to any victim or witness to the
offense and to any individual community member who lives
near the residence where the offender resides, expects to
reside, or is regularly found. Level I offenders MAY NOT
be the subject of general public notification.
Level
II. Moderate risk to re-offend within the community at large.
Relevant, necessary and accurate information concerning
risk Level II offenders may be disclosed to public and private
schools, child day care centers, family day care providers,
businesses and organizations that serve primarily children,
women or vulnerable adults, and neighbors and community
groups near the residence where the offender resides, expects
to reside, or is regularly found. Level II offenders MAY
NOT be the subject of general public notification.
Level
III. High risk to re-offend within the community at large.
Relevant, accurate and necessary information concerning
offenders classified as risk Level III may be disclosed
to the public at large.
Public Disclosure of Sex Offender Information
If you have information about a registered sex offender that
you would like to pass on to the Sheriff's Office, you can
call Detective Ed McGowan at (360) 249-3711 X592.
Abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass
registered sex and kidnapping offenders will not be tolerated.
Such abuse could potentially end our current ability to release
this important information to the public.
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