Woodland, CA – November 30, 2021 – On November 15th-19th, Yolo County law enforcement conducted compliance checks on over 350 registered sex offenders. “Operation Vigilance” is a program that started 12 years ago with the goal to protect Yolo County citizens by ensuring that those who must register as sex offenders who live in the County are complying with all laws and applicable parole or probation directives.
Over 90 law enforcement personnel from Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, Woodland Police, West Sacramento Police, Winters Police, Davis Police, Yolo County Probation, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Woodland Parole Unit, California Department of Justice Human Trafficking and Sex Predator Apprehension Team, along with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, participated in this joint operation.
Many of the individuals who are required to register were previously convicted of rape, child molestation or possession of child pornography. 95% of those contacted were in compliance with the terms and conditions of their parole or probation. One individual was arrested for a violation of parole conditions related to his online activity, 15 were not in compliance with their registration, and one was found in possession of child pornography.
One unique aspect of “Operation Vigilance” is that while officers are making the home visits, forensic examiners search the computers, smart phones, and other digital storage devices for potential violations. Computer forensic investigators from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office High Technology Unit and examiners from other participating agencies worked together to conduct these specialized searches. A total of forty-four devices were searched and two items were seized for further examination.
Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez commented; “Operation Vigilance is an example of Yolo County law enforcement’s commitment to collaboration. I am proud of the dedicated group of professionals who carried out this mission in an effort to keep our communities safe.”
District Attorney Jeff Reisig praised the efforts of all Yolo County law enforcement agencies who continuously monitor these individuals. “We conducted a compliance check of 100% of the sex offenders that have a permanent address and the good news is that 95% were in compliance.” said Reisig. “Operation Vigilance continues to serve as an additional deterrent to those who must register as sex offenders who may be prone to re-offend.”
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