9-21-2009 Michigan:
ALLEN PARK — Sex offenders might be prevented from participating in Halloween activities in the city.
Councilman James Flynn (who is running for State Rep. in 2010, likely needs the "Get Tough on sex offenders" votes) proposed an ordinance Tuesday that would prohibit any person in the city on the Michigan State Police’s Public Sex Offender Registry from participating in activities traditionally associated with Halloween.
Offenders would be banned from giving treats to children, leaving exterior lights on or doing anything that would convey the impression that the residence is occupied between 6 and 8 p.m. each Oct. 31 or any other date chosen as Halloween by the city.
The proposal’s first and second readings were unanimously approved. A third reading is required before it is voted on.
Flynn first mentioned the proposal last year during the Halloween season when he became aware of a person on the sex offender’s list with a Halloween display in front of their house that was bigger and more elaborate than any other on the block, he said.
Clearly obvious no one has done any research into this issue before proposing this ordinance. Recently (2009) Dr. Levenson released the following study on this specific topic: "How safe are trick-or-treaters? An analysis of sex crimes on Halloween?" Finding that sex crimes are no greater on Halloween than any other time. These ordinances are a waste of time and resources. Complete study -OR- Summary of study (Chaffin, M., Levenson, J.S., Letourneau, E., & Stern, P. (2009). How safe are trick-or-treaters? An analysis of sex crimes on Halloween. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research & Treatment 21(3).
Flynn said the display “openly invited children to travel through the make-shift haunted yard and essentially deliver them to the front door of his home, placing our children within extreme close proximity of the sex offender and thereby at risk.”
The ordinance is a copy of failed state House Bill 5321, which died in a judiciary committee last Dec. 31.
“We need to do more research due to civil rights,” Flynn said. “It may not have passed because of enforceability.”
He said he could understand that it might be hard for some cities to enforce the ordinance, but it wouldn’t be for Allen Park.
“It would only take two (police) cars about 30 minutes to check,” he said.
Allen Park has 18 residents on the sex offender registry. There are about 40,000 registered in Michigan.
Defense attorney Gail Benson of Beverly Hills, who works almost entirely with sex offenders, said laws of this type are “silly.”
“They need to look at how many random snatches there have been on someone’s sidewalk,” she said.
“People who are going to assault children do it privately. It wouldn’t be in his house with a stranger. (When they do it,) they know the children, or they are sociopaths who don’t care about the rules.
“It’s a total waste of resources. They need to be more worried about the neighborhood guys performing (break-ins).” ..Source.. by Rene Cizio
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