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1. What is the Sex Offender Registration Law?

The term Sex Offender Registration Law actually refers to the Community Protection Act of 1990 which basically outlines the requirement of any adult or juvenile who has been convicted of any of the sex offenses listed below after February 28, 1990, or was still on active supervision for such an offense at that time, or who has been committed as a sexually violent predator to register their address with law enforcement.

For more information visit our Sex Offender Law page.

2. What is a sex offender?

The term "sex offender" refers to any person convicted of Rape, Rape of Child, Child Molestation, Sexual Misconduct with a Minor, Sexual Violation of Human Remains, Incest, Communication with a Minor for Immoral Purposes, a Felony with a finding of sexual motivation, or a federal or out-of-state conviction that, under Washington State law, would be classified as a felony sex offense.

3. When referring to a Level I, Level II or Level III sex offender, what do the risk levels mean?

One of 3 risk levels is assigned to a sex offender based on the potential risk to reoffend. Past criminal history, conviction data, and psychological behavioral evaluations are considered. To learn about each level, visit our Sex Offender Level page.

4. Who must register as a sex offender?

Any adult or juvenile who has been convicted of any sex offense after February 28, 1990, or who is on active supervision for a sex offense; or who has been committed as a sexually violent predator must register as a sex offender.

5. How long must an offender continue to register?

The duration of an offender's duty to register is based upon the original offense. For more information, visit our Sex Offender Law page.

6. Why can't we control where registered sex offenders live?

The law does not direct where sex offenders may or may not live. No Police nor Sheriff's agency has the legal authority to do so. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, the offender is constitutionally free to live wherever he or she chooses. In some circumstances Washington State Department of Corrections will assist sex offenders with residential accommodations. These arrangements are handled solely by Washington State Department of Corrections and are not influenced by any Law Enforcement Agency.

7. Who decides where a Sex Offender may live?

The Yakima County Sheriff's Office has no legal authority to direct where sex offenders may or may not live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, the offender is constitutionally free to live wherever he or she chooses.

8. Who monitors registered sex offenders in Yakima County?

All sex offenders in Yakima County register their address with the Yakima County Sheriff's Office. That information is then forwarded by the Sheriff's Office to the agency with law enforcement jurisdiction over the sex offender's registered address. The day-to-day monitoring of the sex offender's registered address is handled by the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the address. Thus, Yakima County Sheriff's Office monitors those sex offenders with registered addresses in the unincorporated portions of Yakima County or in the incorporated areas with no law enforcement of their own.

The Sheriff's Office also has the responsibility of monitoring those offenders with no permanent address. The sex offenders with addresses in incorporated areas of Yakima County in which there are Police agencies are monitored by those respective Police agencies.

9. Under what authority is sex offender information released to the public?

This department releases sex offender information pursuant to R.C.W. 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).

This notification is not intended to increase fear; rather it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public.

10. What guidelines are used to determine the extent of public disclosure?

To view the guidelines of each level, visit our Sex Offender Level page.

11. What steps should I take to protect my family?

Persons who have served time in jail or prison including sex offenders, even those who haven't satisfied their obligations to register, have always been with us. The best way to cut risk is to take sensible precautions concerning where, when and what you are doing. Know what your family members are doing and where they are. Know your neighbors. Know your neighborhood. Additional personal safety questions can be answered by the Sheriff's Office at 509-574-2625.

12. What can I do, as a concerned citizen?

Contact your Legislators. They make the laws and are responsible to you and your concerns.

Be aware of your surroundings. Talk to your families regarding not only sex offenders, but every aspect of life that could be a danger to them.

Be nosey regarding your children and their friends. Know what they do, who they do it with, and where they do it.

Sex offenders have always been in our communities. Today, we are aware of where the convicted offenders are living.

13. Why are there unleveled registered sex offenders?

In 1997, Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) began calculating the risk level of sex offenders releasing from state incarceration who would have a registration requirement. Until recently, there were few agencies on the local level with practices in place to level offenders who were never incarcerated in a state facility or had been released prior to the implementation of leveling by State DOC.

Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, along with the local police departments of Yakima County began a concerted effort to level these unleveled offenders in 2001. With the advent of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) website for Level 2 and Level 3 offenders, the Washington State Patrol (in charge of registrations for the State), began a real push to get all of the Counties in the State to bring the backlog of unleveled sex offenders up to date and level new unleveled offenders as soon as possible.

It is not an easy task and few agencies have extra manpower to lend to the process, but there is steady progress toward 100% of offenders having an assigned risk level.