Senator Sharon Runner (R-Antelope Valley) announced today her legislation to provide necessary data on crimes against children passed off the Senate Floor.

Senate Bill 1075 would require the California Department of Justice to include the number of recorded child molestation offenses in the “Crime in California Report” prepared annually by the Department.

“California spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the apprehension, prosecution, incarceration and treatment of sex offenders,” said Runner. “We debate the effectiveness of treatment, supervision and the actual rates of recidivism, but do not even keep track of the numbers of child molestation reported each year.”

The California Department of Justice has prepared annual statistical reports on crime for more than fifty years. The report chronicles both violent and property crimes and currently highlights trends and statistics for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault as well as burglary, grand theft and vehicle theft. Arson was added in 1980.

“Accurate information is necessary to effectively allocate resources and funding,” said Runner. “SB 1075 will give sex crimes against children the same scrutiny as rape, robbery and vehicle theft and provide policymakers and law enforcement with much needed data.”

SB 1075 received unanimous, bipartisan support through the Senate and now moves to the Assembly.