Felician College Student Project Wins Grant to Support Megan’s Law in Bergen County , NJ

Lodi and Rutherford , NJ --The action research project of Barbara Stio, a recent graduate of Felician College ’s Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree Program and a resident of Mahwah , NJ , resulted in a $35,982 New Jersey State grant to support the registration and notification process of Megan’s Law in Bergen County , NJ .   With approximately 450 registered sex offenders in Bergen County , the grant will help fund the annual system upgrades needed to support the county’s computerized tracking and mapping system of sex offenders as well as the purchase of equipment needed to facilitate that process such as fax and copy machines and a digital camera.

As a police detective who has worked for the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years and for the Prosecutor’s Office on sex crimes and child abuse cases, Stio’s first-hand knowledge and experience motivated her to become an advocate for Megan’s Law in Bergen County through her student project.  In preparing the information that would be needed for the grant proposal, Stio conducted literature reviews and research, and interviewed attorneys and detectives to determine immediate funding needs.  She researched software for tracking and mapping sex offenders for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office which keeps records for all Megan’s Law registrants within Bergen County , and she took photos, completed paper work, and cataloged offenders.  

About Megan’s Law:  Prompted by the tragic rape and murders of Megan Kanka and Amanda Wengert, the New Jersey State Legislature enacted the Registration and Community Notification Law (RCNL), also known as Megan's Law, on October 31, 1994.  Megan's Law is designed to help protect communities by providing information about convicted sex offenders to law enforcement agencies and, in the case of moderate and high risk offenders, community organizations and the public. Megan’s Law establishes registration and notification provisions and requires the classification of convicted sex offenders using a three-tier system. Sex offenders who have been released from custody since Megan's Law went into effect are required to register with the police. In addition, offenders who were on parole or probation on the effective date of the law, as well as offenders who have been found to be repetitive and compulsive by experts and the courts -- regardless of the date of sentence -- are required to register. Under the law, sex offenders who reside in a community are classified by prosecutors in one of three "tiers" based on the degree of risk they pose to the public: high (Tier 3), moderate (Tier 2) or low (Tier 1). Neighbors within a half-mile radius are notified of Tier 3 high risk offenders. Registered community organizations involved with children are notified of moderate and high risk offenders because of the possibility that pedophiles and sexual predators will be drawn to these places. Staff members at those facilities who deal directly with children or victims are provided with information about the sex offender. Law enforcement agencies are notified of the presence of all sex offenders.  The prosecutor and the courts are responsible to determine the tier classification of the offender and who should receive notice about the presence of a particular individual in the community. In all three levels of notification, the information provided includes the offender's name, description and photograph, address, place of employment or school if applicable, a description of the offender's vehicle and license plate number and a brief description of the offense