Public agencies are authorized to release information to the public regarding sex offenders and kidnapping offenders when the agency determines that disclosure of the information is relevant and necessary to protect the public and to counteract the danger created by a particular offender.
This applies to any information regarding:
- Any person convicted of a sex offense as defined in RCW 9A.44.130 or a kidnapping offense as defined by RCW 9A.40;
- Any person under the jurisdiction of the indeterminate sentence review board as the result of a sex or kidnapping offense;
- Any person committed as a sexually-violent predator under chapter 71.09 RCW or as a sexual psychopath under chapter 71.06 RCW;
- Any person found not guilty of a sex or kidnapping offense by reason of insanity under chapter 10.77 RCW; and
- Any person found incompetent to stand trial for a sex or kidnapping offense and subsequently committed under chapter 71.05 RCW or 71.34 RCW (RCW 4.24.550(1)).
Sex and kidnapping offenders who are admitted to the college must, within ten days of enrolling or by the first business day after arriving, whichever is earlier, notify the County Sheriff’s office of the offender’s intent to attend the College. The sheriff then notifies the College’s public safety office. (RCW 9A.44.130(1))
In addition, the college is required to advise the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by a state under the Megan Nicole Kanka and Alexandra Nicole Zapp Community Notification Program (34 U.S.C. 20923) concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained, such as a local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction for the campus or a computer network address (34 CFR 668.46(b)(12)).
A college official or employee is immune from civil liability for damages for a release of relevant and necessary information unless it is shown that the college official or employee acted with gross negligence or in bad faith (RCW 4.24.550).