Attorney General Biden, Senator Patricia Blevins, House Speaker Terry Spence, and Representative Pete Schwartzkopf announce introduction of legislation to implement the federal Adam Walsh Act and toughen registration requirements for convicted sex offenders

 Dover, DE – Today Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III joined State Senator Patricia Blevins (DElsmere),
Delaware House Speaker Terry Spence (R-Stratford), and State Representative Pete
Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth) as they announced the introduction of Senate Bill 60, which implements
the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (“Adam Walsh Act”). The Adam
Walsh Act aligns sex offender registry standards across the states, asks states to place the burden of
proof on convicted sex offenders, and authorizes more than $57 million in additional federal funding to
aid states in their efforts to track convicted sex offenders and investigate and prevent sex crimes.
Senate Bill 60 seeks to further toughen Delaware’s registration requirements for convicted sex
offenders and stiffens penalties for sex offenders who fail to verify.

Implementation of the federal Adam Walsh Act will:

* Require convicted sex offenders to appear in person to register, re-register, or verify with the
Delaware State Police.
* Reduce the amount of time a convicted sex offender has to register or re-register after being
released on probation or parole from seven (7) business days to three (3) business days.
* Require convicted sex offenders to provide additional identifying information to authorities,
including the offender’s social security number and vehicle registration.

Furthermore, this bill goes beyond the Adam Walsh act in two significant ways, by:

* Making it a felony for failure to register, re-register, or verify as required by law.
* Mandating that a warrant be issued immediately for the arrest of any offender who fails to
register, re-register, or verify as required by law.

“This legislation places the burden of notification squarely in the hands of offenders, where it ought to
be,” Senator Blevins stated. “The bill has real teeth. It makes these offenders more accountable to the
State and gives law enforcement better information to protect our citizens.”
If this legislation becomes law, Delaware will be one of the first states in the nation to implement the
federal Adam Walsh Act. Passage of the Delaware act now makes the state eligible to immediately
seek additional federal funds to more effectively carry out three critical law enforcement initiatives:

* (1) tracking and verifying all registered sex offenders
* (2) enforcing sex offender registration requirements
* (3) educating children and parents about safe use of the internet

“It’s critical that Delaware continue to access its full complement of federal funds made available
through the Adam Walsh Act. Every dollar we bring in from Washington enhances our ability to track
and verify these offenders,” Speaker Spence said.

“This legislation sends a message to sexual offenders throughout the state to register and verify, or go
to jail,” noted Representative Schwartzkopf.

“A primary initiative of my office is to better protect all victims from sexual predators, and I believe
that this legislation does just that,” Attorney General Biden said. “The get-tough provisions of this
legislation will aid law enforcement in verifying and tracking Delaware’s sex offenders. The effective
and ongoing registration and verification of these offenders is essential to the safety and security of all
Delawareans.”
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Attorney General Biden Announces Creation of Child Predator Unit

Wilmington, DE – Today Attorney General Joseph R. Biden, III announced the creation of a Child
Predator Unit (CPU) within the Delaware Department of Justice. The first of its kind in Delaware, the
Child Predator Unit will employ dedicated investigative and prosecutorial resources to identify, pursue,
prosecute and punish criminals who seek to prey on Delaware’s children. With specially trained and
dedicated staff, the Child Predator Unit will work collaboratively with the Delaware State Police and
other agencies in a proactive effort to identify and track down predators and pedophiles before they can
harm our children.
In order to effectively identify, pursue, prosecute and punish these criminals, the Child Predator Unit
will focus on:
• (1) Establish ongoing internet sting operations to proactively identify, target and capture
predators before they reach Delaware’s children.
• (2) Find and prosecute traditional manufacturers, distributors, and possessors of child
pornography.
• (3) Work with state and local law enforcement agencies to more effectively track down
convicted child predators who have failed to register by state law. The Department of Justice
has committed two investigators to aid in this effort.
• (4) Be an educational resource for children, parents and teachers by providing information
about child predator tactics, advice on ways to avoid victimization, and instructions on methods
to report unlawful activity to the authorities.
“It used to be that locking our doors and watching our children in the park was enough to protect them,
but nowadays predators can enter your home with the click of a computer mouse,” Attorney General
Biden said. “One out of seven children will be sexually solicited on the internet, and of those
solicitations, one in 25 are aggressively contacted.” Biden added that “it is estimated that each week
over 20,000 pornographic pictures of children are posted online and that close to 100,000 illegal child
pornography sites are in operation.”
“Let me be clear. Possessors of child pornography are predators. It is estimated that between 40 and
76 percent of these offenders have also committed sexual offenses against children. We will
aggressively pursue these criminals and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Biden said.
Biden announced that Mrs. Melanie Withers, an 18-year Department of Justice veteran, will serve as
the first Deputy Attorney General assigned to the Child Predator Unit. Mrs. Withers has extensive
experience in prosecuting felony child sexual assault cases and her career reflects a dedicated
commitment to protecting children. Mrs. Withers’ previous assignments included service as the first
head of the felony trial unit in Sussex County. She also has handled all major domestic violence cases
there for the past 13 years.
“The key to the Child Predator Unit’s effectiveness,” Biden noted, “is its involvement in the entire
process, the staff that will dedicate their full-time attention to this effort, and the collaborative and
proactive partnerships we’ll establish to protect our children. The mission of the Child Predator Unit
exemplifies my vision for an office that is innovative and proactive in identifying child predators
without sacrificing the traditional methods of aggressively investigating and prosecuting traditional
crimes against children.”
Finally, General Biden thanked all Joint Finance Committee members for their commitment to the
creation of the Child Predator Unit and acknowledged co-chairs Senator Nancy Cook and
Representative Richard Cathcart for their leadership. He also thanked Governor Ruth Ann Minner and
the Office of Management and Budget for their support in funding the positions.

Child Predator Statistics:
Approximately 1 in 7 children, ages 10-17, have been solicited online1
Over 20,000 images of child pornography are posted on the internet every week2
It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 illegal sites offering child pornography for sale3
Approximately 50,000 child predators are online at any time searching for potential victims4
Between 405 and 766 percent of individuals who possess child pornography have also committed
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Delaware Department of Justice Lends its Support to Habitual Toll Evader Crackdown

 Attorney General Biden pleased to support new coordinated effort
A tougher way of prosecuting habitual toll violators supports the coordinated efforts of the Delaware State Police (DSP), Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) to crack down on toll evaders on I-95, SR-1, and the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
DRBA Police and Delaware Memorial Bridge toll officials are working with the Delaware State Police and
DelDOT to identify and share information on habitual toll evaders by using photographic images of license plates and motor vehicle records captured on all toll violators. Police and toll officials recently met with a prosecutor from the Delaware Department of Justice to review prosecution options for the most serious violators. Normally, toll evaders are prosecuted pursuant to State Law as traffic offenses; however, effective February 22, 2007, toll evaders who exceed $1,000 in toll violations will be evaluated by the Department of Justice for prosecution of theft of services, which is a felony pursuant to the State Criminal Code.
“The Delaware Department of Justice is pleased to support the collaborative efforts of the Delaware State Police, Delaware Department of Transportation, and the Delaware River and Bay Authority to identify and pursue habitual toll evaders,” Attorney General Joseph R. Biden III said.
The Delaware State Police and DRBA Police are announcing the first such criminal arrest of a habitual toll evader who will be prosecuted under the new guidelines:
On January 26, 2007, John Harper, 39, of Irvington, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with 136
counts of toll evasion at the Delaware Memorial Bridge. After being arraigned, Harper was briefly
committed to Young Correctional Facility prior to posting $2,720 in bail. Harper is scheduled for trial in June. If found guilty, Harper will owe the DRBA $5,440 in toll fees as well as civil costs associated with these charges, in addition to any penalties imposed by the court.
On February 22, 2007, the DSP subsequently arrested and charged Harper with another 200 counts of
toll evasion at the I-95 toll facility in Newark, Del. He was charged with felony theft of services. If found
guilty, Harper will owe the State of Delaware $10,571 in toll fees as well as civil costs associated with
these charges, in addition to any penalties imposed by the court.
According to officials from all three agencies, the public should expect to see more arrests in the future.
DelDOT Toll Operations Manager PJ Wilkins said, “This joint effort enhances our toll evasion enforcement efforts and helps to limit the loss of toll revenue that is so important to the operation of our facilities.”
“Identifying and arresting toll violators prove to be a matter of public trust,” DSP Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said. “It is the responsibility of every motorist to obey the laws of our roadway- which, include paying tolls where required.”

“Motorists who have received a DelDOT and/or a DRBA notice of violation are encouraged to follow the
instructions on the violation notice to promptly resolve the matter or risk arrest and prosecution for failure to do so,” remarked Colonel John R. McCarnan, Police Administrator for the DRBA. Both agencies depend on toll revenue to operate and maintain key roadways and bridges in Delaware.

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