At some point this "Not in My Back Yard" has got to stop. Praise to those that will sue to stop politicians that do not know what they are doing enacting "Sounds Good" laws to make them look good to a few in the community.12-30-2010 Ohio:
GREENVILLE — Officials of a nonprofit law firm in Cincinnati on Wednesday said they will file suit in federal court if the Greenville City Council passes an ordinance extending residency restrictions to the point it makes Greenville virtually off limits for registered sex offenders.
The council on Tuesday is to hear the first of three readings on a proposal to prohibit sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of any school, preschool, daycare center, library, park or playground, up from the statewide restriction of 1,000 feet.
“We’ll take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary,” said David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center in Cincinnati. “These laws are ineffective, they don’t increase public safety and, in the worst of cases, they undermine public safety by giving the community a false sense of security.” He said such laws also cause offenders to stop registering their addresses, making it difficult for police to track them. “It’s just foolishness. It’s not smart law enforcement.”
Mayor Mike Bowers did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Greenville would join a growing number of Ohio communities enacting “buffer zones” for sex offenders that go well beyond those set by state law. They include Deerfield Twp. in Warren County, Anderson and Sycamore townships near Cincinnati and Upper Arlington near Columbus. Lebanon City Council has postponed until February a vote on similar legislation.
At the center of the controversy in Greenville is John Graham, whose Good Samaritan Home houses sex offenders trying to re-enter society from prison. Graham said the house has a recidivism rate of less than 1 percent. He said if all cities enact such laws, there will be nowhere for Ohio’s 30,000 registered sex offenders to live legally.
Proponents say extra tough residency restrictions protect a community by forcing offenders to live elsewhere. But some studies have shown residency laws do nothing to prevent new sex crimes against children — partly because many offenders are related to their victims — and create undue strain on law enforcement agencies. ..Source.. Tom Beyerlein , Staff Writer
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