2-13-2011 Massachusetts:
LYNN - Ingalls parents were not happy to hear Tuesday that a revamped local sex offender law set to be enforced starting Friday exempts more than 200 local offenders, including 60 classified by the state as “likely to reoffend.”
These Level 3 offenders and 154 Level 2 “moderate” reoffenders are exempt from the law and its exclusion zones because they lived in the city prior to Feb. 11.
“That’s not too good,” said Ingalls parent Eric Pagan, father of a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old.
“I feel they should be as far away as possible; especially people who are likely to reoffend,” he said.
The law, passed last December by the City Council and signed by Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy on Jan. 12, bars offenders from living within 1,000 feet of public or private schools or parks including ballfields and playgrounds.
The new ordinance is a redrafted version of an offender residency proposal approved by the council in 2009. City lawyers scrutinized the proposal last September and raised questions about it with Solicitor Michael Barry, noting that the 2009 proposal excluded offenders from living near the city’s more than 800 daycare facilities.
“It appears that the ordinance would result in extremely limited amount of residences within the city where Level 3 sex offenders could lawfully reside,” Barry warned in a Sept. 21 letter to Council President Timothy Phelan.
In his letter Barry also recommended the council exempt current Level 3 offenders living in the city from residency restrictions on the grounds that “by requiring these individuals to vacate their homes and/or rental property, the city of Lynn could be exposed to lawsuits seeking compensation for regulatory takings.”
The redrafted offender law does not include day-care centers as areas covered by a 1,000 foot “child safety zone.”
It also excludes offenders living with siblings, parents or spouses.
City lawyers are preparing a map showing the zones that will be printed by the city Inspectional Services Department and posted in the City Clerk’s office.
Sex offenders are required to register with police when they move into a community or change addresses. City attorney James Lamanna said police will forward the address to city attorneys who will check the address against the map and send warning letters to offenders moving into safety zones.
Ingalls parent Debra Pickering thinks the offender law needs more review. The mother of an 8 year old discovered an offender living at an address “two houses down” from her previous address.
“They should be restricted from anywhere where there are kids,” Pickering said.
The state Sex Offender Registry on Tuesday listed 154 Level 2 and 60 Level 3 offenders living or working in Lynn. The Lynn Police Department Web site lists high risk offenders.
James Hagen, father of five, said offenders currently registered with the city should not be allowed near schools like Ingalls where his 11-year-old is a student. The law, he said, “should be very stringent.” ..Source.. Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item
February 13, 2011
Parents: New Lynn sex offender law not strong enough
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3 comments:
Parents! Stop relying on everyone else to watch your kids. Take some responsibilty for your children's actions. As with 80-90% of the RSO's, nobody who peed on a dumpster or had sex with their 15 yr-old girlfriend are interested in your kids. A very low % of RSO's are violent and predatory. Stop waving the fear-monger flag and stressing out.
Knowing where a person lives doesn't prevent crime, nor does it save lives. Any questions?
Who wants to live in Lynn anyway. It's such a poor, dumpy town. Too bad the residency restriction laws have no effect on where a person commits a crime I mean according to a poll done by the experts shows that it has no bearing on the safety of a town. But it's good to see the people of Lynn, MA support another bill that is unconstitutional and has no bearing on where crimes are committed. Good Luck Lynn!!! Have fun enforcing it too !!!! Too bad you don't have any commmon sense. My sympathy for the Town of Lynn. Passing another useless law that defies sensibiity and common sense.
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