Arciero files bill on sex offenders

Another new lawmaker who has succumb to the Political Hype that AWA (SORNA as to registrants) will protect communities. SORNA is nothing more than a "Address Book" w/pictures and a lawmaker's belief that one registrant is more of a risk than another to the community. The public needs to face the reality of what all registries are, and Address Book which -at best- tells you where a person sleeps for a few hours of the day/night. Day after day you read stories of NEW SEX OFFENDERS committing NEW OFFENSES, how is the registry protecting you from that? It isn't and cannot, and that is where the threat is, new offenders, not former offenders. WAKE UP, take the time to analyze what the registry truely accomplishes, it make you feel safe, and false sense of security. One thing it does accomplish, that is, it sucks your pocket book dry supporting false political beliefs.

3-6-2011 Massachusetts:

Westford — State Rep. James Arciero filed legislation on Feb. 4 to that would make information about Level 2 sex offenders available online.

The legislation would bring it into compliance with a federal act and allow the state to access a significant source of funding.

“This will be my top public safety priority in the upcoming legislative session. This simple act will move us forward in protecting families and children in our neighborhoods,” said Arciero, who sponsored similar legislation last year with former state Rep. Lewis Evangelidis, who recently became Worcester County Sheriff. “Level 2 offenders are dangerous people and we need to have all the tools available to protect our communities.”

Laurie Myers, president and founder of Community Voices, said the bill would ensure the most current information regarding sex offenders is available to the general public via the Internet.

“The safety of my community doesn't end at the town line. As parents we travel to different communities with our children and should have access to the information without having to visit the police department to fill out a form every time we want it. Sex offenders use the Internet to prey on children, it only makes sense that parents be allowed to use it to keep our communities safe." said Myers.

Community Voices is a citizens group founded in 2004 dedicated to supporting, advocating and representing victims and survivors of crime; and specializes in sexual assault and Internet safety. Her group is supporting the passage of the measure.

The legislation will bring Massachusetts in compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and enable the state to access Byrne Formula Grant funding. The act organizes sex offender categories into three tiers, requiring tier one adults to register for 15 years, tier two for 25 years, and tier three for a lifetime.

By complying with the Adam Walsh Act, Massachusetts could gain $600,000 in public safety funding, according to Arciero.

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board is charged with determining the danger level associated with a sex offender’s crime and proclivity to re-offend. Level 1offenders are deemed to have a low risk of re-offending. Level 2 offenders have a moderate risk--their crimes are considered a danger to the public, but information is available to the public only at the local police department. Level 3 denotes offenders whose crimes pose the greatest risk to public safety and are highly likely to re-offend. Their information is available on-line to all interested individuals.

In order to build the necessary support for passage of the measure on Beacon Hill, Arciero won the support of local and county officials.

“The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board deems Level 2 sex offenders dangerous, yet members of the public cannot easily access information about their whereabouts,” said Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. “Rep. James Arciero’s legislation is a common-sense measure to increase public safety by making such information readily available. I applaud him for his leadership on this issue.”

Littleton Police Chief John Kelly said “I believe it is one of our fundamental responsibilities, as a society, to protect our children and those that have and may be victimized by sexually deviant perpetrators. The foremost proactive manner in which to do this is through information and education and this proposed legislation will do just that, allow us to make additional safeguarding information available to those we serve. Rep. Arciero’s legislation will make Massachusetts compliant with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.”

Chelmsford Police Chief James Murphy said making Level 2 sex offender information more widely available to the general public would be a public safety benefit.

Westford Police Chief Thomas McEnaney noted that the issue was a major public safety concern last year in his town.

“Last year, we had a situation in which several residents were concerned that sex offender information available from other states’ monitoring systems was better than that which could be obtained from the Massachusetts’ system. I am hopeful that we can move in the direction of greater awareness of potentially dangerous individuals so that citizens can take the necessary precautions for themselves and their families” he said.

In 2009, a Level 2 sex offender living in Westford’s Forge Village section was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. Charges were dropped for lack of evidence, according to police, but the court case raised awareness among residents about the difficulties in obtaining information. After delving into the offender’s background, a group of residents discovered that he had been convicted of a sexual offense in Florida. While his information was available online from that state, similar information was not available in Massachusetts. Residents contacted Arciero who helped to organize a public forum. One outcome was a decision to file legislation making it legal to post the names of Level 2 offenders online.

Enactment of the law would result in savings to taxpayers by eliminating many of the proceedings regarding changing classification, according to Arciero.

The measure has over 36 legislative co-sponsors and will now be assigned to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. A public hearing is expected to take place within a few months, Arciero said.

“With the support of members from both the House and Senate and backing from both Republican and Democratic members, I think we can put together a strong bipartisan and bicameral coalition to get the necessary votes to make this happen.” Arciero said. ..Source.. Editor’s Note: This story was written and submitted by the office of Rep. James Arciero.