Manitowoc sex offender ordinance approved

A note for folks who may not realize this: Ordinances are laws issued by local officials.

12-22-15 Wisconsin:

Convicted sex offenders from outside Manitowoc can no longer legally be placed within the city limits after the City Council approved an ordinance regulating such placements.

The council Dec. 21 unanimously approved the ordinance, which prohibits any convicted sex offender from residing or being placed on supervised release within the city limits unless the offender lived in the city at the time of the offense or previously resided in the city for more than five years.

Exemptions to the ordinance include if the offender already lives in the city, if the offender is a minor, or if the residence belongs to the offender's parents, grandparents, siblings, spouse or child, as long as the person "established the residence at least five years before the designated offender established residence at that location."

Additional regulations contained in the ordinance include penalties for property owners knowingly renting to unauthorized offenders, and penalties for any offender caught loitering within 500 feet of schools, parks and other places kids congregate.

Penalties range from $300 to $1,000. An appeal process is included in the ordinance allowing offenders to make a case for special placement within the city. Appeals must go before the city's Public Safety Committee, chief of police and City Council.

The need for the ordinance arose after convicted sex offender Mark R. Rickert, who is not from Manitowoc, was placed within the city.

Because some of the ordinances around the state are so restrictive, there is no place to put sex offenders in the municipalities from which they came. That means the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has to look elsewhere for placement.

When beginning to discuss the ordinance, a distance restriction that would have kept offenders from living within a certain distance of the aforementioned locations was included. Council members decided creating those "safe zones" would also create other zones with high concentrations of sex offenders.

Instead, the council decided to use the ordinance as a way to keep outside offenders from being placed within the city.

"We're limiting the outsiders," said Eric Sitkiewitz, council president. "I think that's the important thing in this ordinance."

Ald. Chris Able, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, which first discussed the ordinance, said he's happy with the final result.

"I think this is an important step forward for better safety for everybody," Able said.

Even with the ordinance in place, Ald. Jim Brey said everyone needs to remain vigilant in keeping the city safe.

"Don't be afraid to call the police department if you have concerns," Brey said. "They will gladly respond and be part of the solution."

The City of Two Rivers also approved a similar ordinance. ..Source.. by Marcus Nesemann