The Mesa Police Department's Sex Offender Notification Enforcement and Tracking Team (SONET) is designed with some of the philosophies, which are instilled and practiced with the department, along with new and innovative approaches proven successful at the Center Against Family Violence (CAFV).

The Mesa Police SONET Team consists of one Sergeant, five Detectives, and a rotating caseworker with Maricopa County Adult Probation. The name of the team indicates the multi-faceted job responsibilities involved in managing sex offenders who reside within our communities. Notification is an obvious responsibility, since June 1, 1996, legislation was enacted to address this community need. Enforcement is another responsibility of this team. Enforcing sex offenders is a complicated issue. The police department is taxed with the responsibility of enforcing offender registration and changing of address. We are also charged with enforcing the criminal acts that these offenders may commit when they re-offend. Without the tracking portion of this team, the enforcement would be even more difficult.

The Mesa Police SONET Team will use the very successful multi-disciplinary approach to investigations. Currently, the Sex Offender Notification Unit requests the assistance of Adult Probation and most cases are worked jointly between the agencies. There are some difficulties with communication because the agencies are not housed together. This difficulty will be eliminated because of the joint housing and the weekly case staffings that will occur. The role of the Victim Advocate working with an enforcement and tracking team is a new concept that will be state-of-the-art for others to model. The Victim Advocate will help members of the community and the offender's families deal with the issues of acceptance.

Members of the Mesa Police SONET Team believe that this team is one of the truest forms of Community Policing. Community needs will be addressed continuously as we continue to find that managing sex offenders continues to change. We welcome suggestions from anyone and hope to be available to assist other units whenever possible.

For additional information on the notification process, notification laws, or sex offenders in your area, please visit the Arizona Department of Public Safety Sex Offender InfoCenter.