Full Notification

COMMUNITY ALERT
CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT
200 Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org

A Child Molester Faces 100 years in Prison Thanks to The District Attorney's Office and Your SMPD Detectives

In June of last year, SMPD received report of an elderly male who approached a young girl at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Hillsdale Shopping Center, where he lured her to the back of the store and exposed himself while briefly touching her inappropriately outside her clothing. SMPD Detectives vigorously investigated the crime, which included interviewing and investigating known sex offenders in the area and forensic analysis and partial enhancement of available store surveillance footage. Working collaboratively with the Union City and Mountain View Police Departments who were investigating similar incidents in their jurisdictions, Detective Laura Sharp identified Christopher Wendell Miller (71) as the suspect in the Barnes & Noble case.

On November 25th , 2014, following a jury trial which included nearly 7 days of testimony, Miller was found guilty on all counts and faces 100 years to life in prison for the offense. A crime such as this which was committed upon a child is as heinous an act as any we can imagine and its successful prosecution is due once again in no small part the dogged determination of the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and specifically SMPD Detective Laura Sharp. Their efforts will ensure that Miller will never again have the opportunity to victimize a child and our community is safer for it.

With this case in mind, the San Mateo Police Department would ask that parents and guardians take the opportunity to discuss with their children the inherent privacy of their bodies and personal boundaries. As uncomfortable as the topic may be, we must empower our children and young adults with the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves from perpetrators like Miller, clearly defining for them what is appropriate and what is not, and maintain an open dialogue with our kids to ensure they have the courage to tell someone they trust about anything or anyone who behaves towards them in a manner that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. We regret that there are people in our society whose deplorable actions make these conversations with our children necessary. But, incidents such as this demand that we have these discussions with our kids to prevent more children from falling victim to predators like Miller.

This is a community alert only from your San Mateo Police Department and any and all press inquiries regarding this case must be made to the District Attorney's Office.

MORE RESOURCES
Here is a few links to help guide your conversations with your children.
National Crime Prevention Council: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/violent-crime-and-personal-safety/strangers
Kid Power: http://www.kidpower.org/stranger-safety/
USDO, Talking to Your Child About Sexual Abuse: http://www.nsopw.gov/en-US/Education/TalkingChild?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

DO YOUR PART TO MAKE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER
As always, we count on our community members to be SMPD’s “extra eyes and ears.” Please report ANY suspicious activity to SMPD right away via 911, or 650-522-7700. For information related to any ongoing SMPD investigation, call the Detective Bureau at 650-522-7650. You may also contact us anonymously by voicemail 650-522-7676 or text message 650-262-3473.

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