Modesto Sex Offender Lookup

Sex offenders in Modesto register with the Modesto Police Department at 600 10th Street. Call 209-572-9659 for registration questions. Anyone required to register under California Penal Code Section 290 must do so within five working days of moving to Modesto. After that, most offenders update once per year within five working days of their birthday. Transients update every 30 days. Sexually violent predators update every 90 days. You can search for Modesto sex offenders on the state Megan's Law website at meganslaw.ca.gov. The public database shows photos, addresses, and conviction information for registered offenders in California.

Modesto Police Registration

The Modesto Police Department handles sex offender registration for city residents. The police station is at 600 10th Street. Call 209-572-9659 for information. Offenders must appear in person to register. They cannot register by mail or phone.

Bring valid ID and court documents to your registration appointment. Officers collect your current address, employment information, vehicle descriptions, and internet identifiers. They take a new photo and verify all details. The local agency reports your data to the California Department of Justice. The DOJ updates the Megan's Law website each day based on information from local police and sheriff departments.

No fees apply to sex offender registration in California. State law prohibits charging any fee for this mandatory process. This rule covers the initial registration and all annual updates. If an agency tries to charge a fee, report it to the Department of Justice.

The registration process takes about an hour. The officer will explain your registration tier and update schedule. Tier One offenders register for at least ten years. Tier Two offenders register for at least twenty years. Tier Three offenders register for life. After completing the minimum period, some offenders can petition the court to end their registration requirement.

Stanislaus County Sheriff

Modesto is in Stanislaus County. The county sheriff handles registration for unincorporated areas and some smaller cities. The Stanislaus County Sheriff Records Division is at 250 East Hackett Road. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call 209-525-7117 for information.

If you move from Modesto to an unincorporated area of Stanislaus County, register with the sheriff within five working days. If you move to another city in the county, register at that city's police department if they have one. Otherwise, use the sheriff's office.

California Megan's Law Search

Look up sex offenders in Modesto at meganslaw.ca.gov. This is the official California sex offender registry. You can search by address, zip code, or name. Enter a Modesto address to see offenders living nearby. The map tool shows pins for each registered person. Click a pin to view their profile.

Each profile includes a photo, physical description, date of birth, and verified address. The site lists the crimes that led to registration. Most profiles show the person's registration tier. Some offenders are excluded from the public website by court order. These people still register with local police, but their information does not appear online.

Before you search, you must accept a disclaimer. The site warns that misusing registry information is a crime. You cannot use the data to harass or harm an offender or their family. Penalties include fines up to $50,000 and five years in prison for felony misuse. Anyone who uses the data to commit a misdemeanor faces fines between $10,000 and $50,000. Civil liability also applies.

Registered sex offenders are not allowed to use the search function. Anyone required to register who accesses the tool faces a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. The law aims to prevent offenders from using the system to locate other registrants or potential victims.

Local Compliance Checks

Modesto police conduct compliance checks on registered sex offenders. Officers visit the addresses offenders have reported to verify they live there. These checks help keep the registry accurate. If an offender moves without updating their registration, police can issue a warrant. Registration violations are prosecuted as felonies or misdemeanors depending on the circumstances.

Some offenders wear GPS ankle monitors. All sex offender parolees in California must be tracked with electronic devices. The CDCR Sex Offender Management Program has used GPS monitoring since 2008. The system alerts parole agents if the person enters a restricted area like a school or park. This program is one of the largest GPS monitoring efforts by a single law enforcement agency in the United States.

State Registration Laws

California Penal Code Section 290 requires sex offender registration. This statute lists all crimes that trigger a registration requirement. Examples include rape, lewd acts with minors, sexual battery, indecent exposure, and possession of child pornography. The law also covers attempts and conspiracies to commit these offenses.

The three-tier system took effect on January 1, 2021. Senate Bill 384 created this tiered approach to replace the old lifetime registration rule. Now most offenders are assigned to Tier One, Two, or Three based on their crime. Lower-level offenses like misdemeanor sexual battery fall into Tier One. Mid-level crimes like lewdness with a minor under 14 are Tier Two. Serious offenses like rape and crimes involving force are Tier Three.

Offenders in Tier One or Tier Two can petition the court to end registration after the minimum period. The court has 60 days to respond. If the petition is granted, the person is removed from the public website and no longer has to register. Tier Three offenders cannot petition. They register for life unless they receive a pardon or other legal remedy.

Penal Code Section 290.012 sets update requirements. Most offenders update once per year within five working days of their birthday. Sexually violent predators update every 90 days. Transients with no permanent address update every 30 days. The law also says no entity may charge fees for registration. This prohibition is mandatory statewide.

Penal Code Section 290.46 mandates internet disclosure through the Megan's Law website. The California Department of Justice publishes information on most registered sex offenders. The statute specifies what data can be disclosed, including name, photo, address, physical description, and conviction details. Some categories of offenders are excluded from public view.

Central Valley Cities

Modesto is in California's Central Valley. Other large Central Valley cities with their own registration offices include Fresno, Stockton, and Bakersfield. Sacramento is north of Modesto. If you move from Modesto to another Central Valley city, register at the new location within five working days.

Additional Resources

The California Department of Justice oversees the statewide sex offender registry. Visit oag.ca.gov/sex-offender-reg for information about registration laws, forms, and updates. You can download the Application for Exclusion from Internet Disclosure if you qualify. Other forms cover internet identifier registration and college course enrollment.

CDCR operates the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search system. Use this tool at ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov to look up individuals in state custody. Search by name or CDCR number. Results show the person's age, admission date, current location, and parole hearing dates. This helps you track someone before they are released and required to register.

The national sex offender registry at nsopw.gov searches all 50 states. Use it to check if someone registered in another state before moving to California. The database is managed by the U.S. Department of Justice. It combines data from local, state, and federal sources into one search tool.