California Cops’ ‘Operation Boo’ Arrests Rarely Involve Sex Abuse

Every year on Halloween, law enforcement agencies throughout the country conduct thousands of random checks on people who are required to register as sex offenders. The sweeps, called “Operation Boo,” typically result in a handful of arrests, which cops tout as evidence of their utility in protecting children from would-be predators.

The press has dutifully spread this message: “For the 26th year, ‘Operation Boo’ Keeps Sex Offenders In Check,” the San Diego Union Tribune wrote in 2019, with an image of a police officer holding a seized bong. “Operation Boo Nabs Three Sex Offenders On Halloween,” the Redding Record Searchlight wrote in 2022. “On Halloween, Some States Take Extra Safety Measures To Keep Sex Offenders Away From Kids,” CNN that year.

The press releases announcing arrests from Operation Boo rarely specify the cause of arrest, leaving the reader to assume the charges were related to sexual misconduct or child endangerment.

Last year, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that after conducting nearly 2,000 compliance checks, 53 people were “found out of compliance” with the terms of their parole, 43 of whom were arrested. When I asked CDCR what parole violation each of the 53 people had committed, information officer Mary Xjimenez told me to submit a public information request. Because such requests are limited to specific existing documents, I asked for the arrest reports of the 43 people who were arrested.

People in California who are required to register as sex offenders already live under a web of restrictions on who they can socialize with and where they can live, work and travel. They are often required to surrender their privacy by wearing GPS trackers and providing law enforcement with their internet usernames. Otherwise, legal activity, like consuming alcohol or pornography can be grounds for arrest. Unhoused registered sex offenders — many of whom become homeless because of restrictions on where they can live — are required to reregister as transient every 30 days.

There are additional restrictions on Halloween, including a 5 p.m. curfew, no lights on outside the home, no Halloween decorations or candy, and no opening the door for anyone other than law enforcement, adult family or in the event of an emergency.

Over the course of seven months, CDCR provided me with 37 arrest reports, stating that the remaining individuals were either arrested by another law enforcement agency or were released by the jails, resulting in no arrest records. None of the reports described physical or sexual abuse of children or adults. Only three cases even vaguely suggested wrongdoing.

The most alarming case involved a man who was found with images of nude children and girls’ underwear, which he admitted to using for “sexual gratification.” In a second case, a man had a video of a naked infant in a bathtub on his phone, although it was unclear if his reasons for having the video were sexual. In a third case, a man was found with children’s toys in his home, which he said belonged to his deceased uncle.

The overwhelming majority of arrest reports describe law enforcement officers arresting people for conduct that posed no threat to the community, including not being home by 5 p.m., missing registration deadlines, communicating with other registered sex offenders, possession of pornography (depicting adults) or “sexually stimulating objects,” or “participating in Halloween activities.

Collectively, the arrest reports depict Operation Boo as an exercise in harassing people who appear to be minding their own business, under the guise of protecting children from the sensationalized threat of pedophiles who use Halloween as an opportunity to entrap unsuspecting kids.

Here is a sample of the circumstances of arrests made last Halloween as a result of California’s Operation Boo, according to the arrest reports:

• Law enforcement officers checked on one man at 5:15 p.m., and he was not home. When he arrived home at 5:30 p.m., he was arrested and booked at the local jail. The arrest report also noted the presence of a 15-year-old at the home, along with her grandma, which officers described as “unlawful contact with a minor.”

• During one check, a parolee’s mother answered the door with a candy bowl. The parolee was arrested for “participating in Halloween activities.” The arrest report noted that the “residence front lights were also lite.”

• The week before Halloween, officers “made contact” with a man on parole and told him “not to be in the downtown area” due to Halloween-related activities for children. Officers “ran his tracks” on Halloween and saw he had been in the downtown area “a few days prior while trick or treating was being conducted.” Officers “made conduct with the subject in a bar” where he “was sitting alone having an alcoholic beverage.” The man was arrested for failing to follow instructions from a parole officer and using alcohol.

• Officers arrested one man after finding a “usable amount of methamphetamine.” While being placed in custody, the individual “hit his head against a [law enforcement] vehicle causing damage.” Because of this, he was accused of resisting arrest and vandalism/malicious mischief, in addition to possession of amphetamine/methamphetamine.

• Officers used GPS tracking data to locate an unhoused man in a Home Depot parking lot. He had last registered as transient 34 days ago on Sept. 27, 2023. Officers arrested him for failing to reregister on time. The man told officers he did not realize he had missed a deadline and promised to go first thing in the morning if released, according to the arrest report. “While escorting Subject to the transport vehicle Subject kept stating that, he was going to lose custody of his son if he got into trouble. Subject stated that he had an upcoming surprised visit with his son and to call his social worker.”

There is no reliable evidence that sex offender registries keep people safer. There is, however, extensive evidence that erecting barriers to reintegrating into society makes it more likely that people will re-offend.