Mesa Police Department 2001 Annual Report
News Article

Mesa police take new tack in monitoring sex offenders
Program frees up more resources to track suspects

by Garin Groff
The Mesa Tribune
November 4, 2001

     Sex offenders who break the law are having a harder time hiding out in the East Valley.
     Twenty of them have been arrested in the last three months for not registering their addresses with authorities, part of an increased effort by Mesa police to crack down on sex offenders who violate conditions of their release. 
     The effort is the result of a program that caused some controversy when it started in July. Police stopped going door to door to tell neighbors when sex offenders moved in and instead mailed fliers. The change saved time -- and $1,310 per notification on average -- but some people complained the lower-profile method might not be as effective.
     Police said the extra arrests are proof the change was worthwhile.
     "Would you rather my time be spent arresting these people or at your door?" asked Sgt. Mike Stevens, the head of the Sex Offender Notification Enforcement Team. 
     By mailing fliers, officers have more time to track sex offenders who don't register, he said.
    Mesa has about 1,500 registered sex offenders. Stevens said a couple hundred may not be properly registered at any given time. 
     Previously, as many as 40 officers would go door to door to pass out fliers and tell people about their new neighbor. But many people were not home during these efforts, Stevens said. Or only a child would be home, resulting in worried parents getting incomplete or inaccurate information when they got home. 
     By mailing the fliers, police believe parents are more likely to get the information right the first time. Plus, they can read it at their leisure and not deal with an intrusion during the early evening hours.
      Stevens said people seem to like the new procedure, but he hopes to conduct a survey to get a better sample of opinion.  
     The latest arrest cam Thursday, when police caught Daniel Pina, 30. He was registered at an apartment at 2107 W. Broadway Road in Mesa, but police who regularly check sex offenders found he had moved months ago without telling the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office about his new address.
     Detective eventually found Pina at 2011 S. Forest Ave. in Tempe. They tracked him for 10 days and found he spent nights at the residence and changed clothes there -- signs the place was more than a temporary home, Stevens said.
     Pina was arrested on suspicion of failing to change his address, which could result in up to 3 years in prison and lifetime probation.
     Pina was convicted of having sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl when he was 21. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

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