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Megan's
Law was signed by President Clinton on May 17, 1996. Megan's Law was much
needed, despite Washington State's 1990 Community Protection Act which included
America's first law authorizing public notification when dangerous sex offenders are released
into the Community. It was the brutal 1994 rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Nicole
Kanka by a
previously registered sex offender that
prompted the public demand for broad based community notification, hence
bringing forth Megan's Law.
On Friday July 29, 1994, Megan Nicole Kanka disappeared. With the promise of a
puppy, her neighbor lured her into his home where he raped, strangled and
suffocated her. Her body was stuffed into a plastic toy chest and dumped in a
nearby park . Megan had been killed by a two-time convicted pedophile who lived
across the street from the Kanka home and was sharing his house with two other
convicted sex offenders he met in prison. Sparked by community outrage,
petitions began circulating throughout the state of New Jersey demanding the
right to be made aware of sexual predators. Megan's parents, Maureen and Richard
Kanka, had gathered more than 430,000 signatures, and 89 days after Megan's
disappearance the first state law that mandated active community notification
was signed into law, New Jersey's Megan's Law. The Kankas started the Megan
Nicole Kanka Foundation and are involved with many projects that focus on
promoting safety for our children. Maureen Kanka, a well-known figurehead and
respected child advocate, travels the country to speak to concerned citizen
groups about dangers to children, the need to educate families, and lures used
by sexual predators who target children. After Megan's tragic death, Maureen and
Richard Kanka lobbied to put into place a federal law requiring all 50 states to
notify the community of the presence of sex offenders who posed a risk to public
safety. The Kankas were joined in their lobbying efforts by powerful advocates
such as Marc Klaas (www.Klasskids.com), Patty Wetterling, John Walsh and many other advocates and
victims nationwide. They were victorious on May 17, 1996, when a federal version
of Megan's Law became enacted. In attendance that day was one of the nation's
most powerful advocates, John Walsh, father of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, who was
abducted on July 27, 1981 and later found murdered. The prime suspect in Adam's
murder, Ottis Toole, was never charged in the Adam Walsh case; he died in prison
while serving life for other crimes. John fights back on television's "America's
Most Wanted," (www.amw.com) by helping to bring justice to other crime victims.
The work by John and his wife, Reve, led to the passage of the Missing Children
Act of 1982 and The Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984. The latter bill
founded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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