October 24, 2009

Operation Valley Guardian a Sweeping Success

On October 24, 2009, at 8:00 a.m., over 160 officers representing 16 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies joined together in Operation Valley Guardian and fanned out from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's Florin Station in an effort to contact 1,000 of the 4,000 registered sex offenders who live within the boundaries of Sacramento County.

Operation Valley Guardian was the largest one-day registered sex offender contact event in Sacramento County history. The operation was a collaborative law enforcement effort with the goal of sending a "no tolerance" message to registered sex offenders who live in Sacramento County. Participating law enforcement agencies wanted sex offenders to know if they are out of compliance with the terms of their registration requirements they will be contacted and arrested.

During the 10-hour operation officers contacted 1,602 registered sex offenders. The contacts resulted in 24 arrests and the development of information that could lead to the arrest of an additional 200 registered sex offenders for violating the terms of their registration.

Operation Valley Guardian was organized by the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) team. The SAFE team is a multi-jurisdictional task force comprised of members from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, the Sacramento Police Department, and the U.S. Marshall's Office. The team receives daily support from the Sacramento County Probation Department and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The SAFE team was created with grant funding from the California State Office of Emergency Services. SAFE team detectives are assigned to supervise, monitor and arrest registered sex offenders who are out of compliance with their statutory requirements or who are in violation of their probation or parole status. SAFE team detectives initiate criminal investigations and conduct proactive surveillance operations in an effort to prevent sexual assaults and re-offenses by sex offenders.

In addition to the SAFE team members, the following agencies also participated and played an integral part in the success of Operation Valley Guardian: Rancho Cordova Police Department, Folsom Police Department, Elk Grove Police Department, Citrus Heights Police Department, Galt Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Sacramento County District Attorney Investigator's Office, Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, California Department of Justice, United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sergeant Tim Curran,
Sheriff's Spokesman