14 Arrested in Countywide Sex Offender Sweep

A countywide operation that involved 300 local, state and federal law enforcement officers found that 61 sex offenders were out of compliance, it was announced Thursday.

The operation—which included 34 agencies, 91 teams under the umbrella group San Diego SAFE (Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement) Task Force—located 800 registered sex offenders and made 14 arrests on various violations on Wednesday.

“We want offenders in San Diego to know they are being actively watched. Our goal was to verify they are complying with registration laws, and to identify any illegal activity they might be engaged in,” said David Collazo, commander of the SAFE Task Force.

For "Operation Watchdog," law enforcement officers knocked on 1,012 doors in search of sex offenders. The countywide sweep also resulted in the seizure of pornography, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, laptops, smart phones, digital media, alcohol and children’s clothing and toys.

“This kind of unprecedented cooperation between law enforcement agencies is what makes San Diego unique in its approach to sex offender management,” Collazo said. “We know all too well that monitoring known offenders closely is critical to public safety. SAFE and its partner agencies are committed to aggressively meeting that challenge.”

The SAFE Task Force was established about 10 years ago with a mission to reduce sex crimes. According to the task force, there are about 4,000 registered sex offenders in San Diego County.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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