(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, and except as provided in paragraph (2), any designated law enforcement entity may provide information to the public about a person required to register as a sex offender pursuant to Section 290, by whatever means the entity deems appropriate, when necessary to ensure the public safety based upon information available to the entity concerning that specific person.
(2) The law enforcement entity shall include, with the disclosure, a statement that the purpose of the release of information is to allow members of the public to protect themselves and their children from sex offenders.
(3) Community notification by way of an Internet Web site shall be governed by Section 290.46, and a designated law enforcement entity may not post on an Internet Web site any information identifying an individual as a person required to register as a sex offender except as provided in that section unless there is a warrant outstanding for that person’s arrest.
(b) Information that may be provided pursuant to subdivision (a) may include, but is not limited to, the offender’s name, known aliases, gender, race, physical description, photograph, date of birth, address, which shall be verified prior to publication, description and license plate number of the offender’s vehicles or vehicles the offender is known to drive, type of victim targeted by the offender, relevant parole or probation conditions, crimes resulting in classification under this section, and date of release from confinement, but excluding information that would identify the victim. It shall not include any Internet identifier submitted pursuant to this chapter.
(c) (1) The designated law enforcement entity may authorize persons and entities who receive the information pursuant to this section to disclose information to additional persons only if the entity determines that disclosure to the additional persons will enhance the public safety and identifies the appropriate scope of further disclosure. A law enforcement entity may not authorize any disclosure of this information by placing that information on an Internet Web site, and shall not authorize disclosure of Internet identifiers submitted pursuant to this chapter, except as provided in subdivision (h).
(2) A person who receives information from a law enforcement entity pursuant to paragraph (1) may disclose that information only in the manner and to the extent authorized by the law enforcement entity.
(d) (1) A designated law enforcement entity and its employees shall be immune from liability for good faith conduct under this section.
(2) A public or private educational institution, a day care facility, or a child care custodian described in Section 11165.7, or an employee of a public or private educational institution or day care facility which in good faith disseminates information as authorized pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be immune from civil liability.
(e) (1) A person who uses information disclosed pursuant to this section to commit a felony shall be punished, in addition and consecutive to any other punishment, by a five-year term of imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170.
(2) A person who uses information disclosed pursuant to this section to commit a misdemeanor shall be subject to, in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed, a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(f) For purposes of this section, “designated law enforcement entity” means the Department of Justice, every district attorney, the Department of Corrections, the Department of the Youth Authority, and every state or local agency expressly authorized by statute to investigate or prosecute law violators.
(g) The public notification provisions of this section are applicable to every person required to register pursuant to Section 290, without regard to when his or her crimes were committed or his or her duty to register pursuant to Section 290 arose, and to every offense described in Section 290, regardless of when it was committed.
(h) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, a designated law enforcement entity shall only use an Internet identifier submitted pursuant to this chapter, or release that Internet identifier to another law enforcement entity, for the purpose of investigating a sex-related crime, a kidnapping, or human trafficking.
(2) A designated law enforcement entity shall not disclose or authorize persons or entities to disclose an Internet identifier submitted pursuant to this chapter to the public or other persons, except as required by court order.
(i) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 541, Sec. 7. (SB 384) Effective January 1, 2018. Repealed as of January 1, 2021, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. of Stats. 2017, Ch.541.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018