Communities reviewing sexual offender ordinances in wake of federal ruling

6-19-17 Wisconsin:

RACINE COUNTY — At least three communities in Racine County are reviewing their sex offender residency ordinances after a federal judge found that similar rules in Pleasant Prairie were unconstitutional.

In recent weeks, the villages of Caledonia and Waterford, and the Town Yorkville have discussed tweaking their ordinances in the wake of the ruling, and pending legal challenges in other municipalities, including the City of Milwaukee.

Caledonia Village Trustee Kevin Wanggaard, who serves as the chairman of the village’s Legislative and Licensing Committee, said examining their ordinance makes sense in light of the recent ruling.

“We try to get out in front of these things,” Wanggaard said. “It’s about making sure our citizens are safe, and making sure we are doing what we need to do to be lawful.”

Civil rights

At issue with the ordinances under review are buffer zones that limit where registered sex offenders can live. Pleasant Prairie’s ordinance originally banned any sex offender from living within 3,000 feet of a school, park, day care or other area where children congregate. Also under review are “original domicile” restrictions that ban sex offenders from moving to a municipality if they didn’t live there when their crime was committed.

U.S. District Judge J. P. Stadtmueller ruled in April that such restrictions in Pleasant Prairie essentially banished sex offenders without providing clear evidence that the restrictions would protect their citizenry. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Child abuse database launched

6-11-17 Indiana:

GREENFIELD — A database that launched this week lists the names of people convicted of child abuse in the last five years.

State officials hope the new child abuse and neglect registry will become the tool parents use to ensure their children are cared for by someone trustworthy.

The online registry is similar to one listing convicted sex offenders.

Parents can search people by name at public.courts.in.gov (click on the link for the child abuse registry).

A person’s name will appear in the search results if they’ve been convicted of child neglect, battery or sexual assault against a child or child selling — crimes that statistics show are being reported more regularly throughout the state.

Child abuse and neglect cases are up nearly 20 percent statewide, according to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

In 2016, the agency handled 241 cases in which a Hancock County child had been neglected or abused, compared with 186 cases in 2015, according to department records. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Two Barstow Men Arrested for Threatening Rumored Child Molester

6-9-17 California:

BARSTOW – Two Barstow men were arrested for threatening a man who they believed was a sexual predator from Las Vegas, Nevada who was attempting to lure children into his car.

On the evening of Tuesday, June 6, 2017, Barstow Police responded to Del Mar Avenue and Young Street regarding an assault. When they arrived the victim told them that he was at the AMPM gas station located in the 100 block of Montara Road when two males, later identified as Joshua Morton, 30, and Kyle Ray Axe, 31. The victim reported that one of the males pointed a silver handgun at him and the second told him to “leave town”.

“The victim told officers that the allegation is based on a Facebook post that had been made about him when he arrived in town,” Barstow Police officials said. “The allegation had been investigated by the police department prior to this contact, and was found to be unsubstantiated.” The victim followed the males to a home in the 300 block of Del Mar Avenue. Officers arrived at the location, made contact with the males and the victim positively identified them as the two males who pointed a gun at him and threatened him.

A loaded silver handgun and rifle were located during a search of Morton and Axe’s home. The victim said that the silver handgun in the home was the same one used in the assault. Both Morton and Axe were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal conspiracy, and criminal threats. Both are being held at the High Desert Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 bail. Morton and Axe are scheduled to appear at the Victorville Superior Court on Thursday afternoon. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

30 Laws in 30 Days: More paroled sex offenders will have GPS anklets for life

6-4-17 Indiana:

INDIANAPOLIS (Statehouse File) – Detectives called him a master manipulator.

But Joseph Anderson’s scheming came to an end when a man called the Department of Child Services to report Anderson had shown him a screenshot of himself and a 9-year-old boy performing sex acts on each other.

After months in court, Anderson — who had already served prison time for two child sex cases and got out in 2010 — was convicted last August to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to three felony counts of child molestation involving four children.

Sen. Joe Zakas, R-Granger, was propelled to write Senate Enrolled Act 38 after seeing headlines in the South Bend Tribune about Anderson’s conviction and other admitted crimes of molesting another 34 local, vulnerable children over many years.

“It gave me a need to author something for greater oversight,” he said.

Zakas also sees the law as another way to improve Indiana’s criminal laws and protect Hoosiers, a focus he has held throughout his 35 years in the Senate.

“Public safety is one of the most important things legislators do,” Zakas said. “We have a right to be safe in our homes and neighborhoods.”

The law, which was signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb and goes into effect July 1, does two things: ..Continued.. by Ashley Shuler

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Starting over: Task force examining sex offender laws

6-4-17 Illinois:

BLOOMINGTON — At the end of June, Brian Liska will mark the 20th anniversary of two life-changing milestones: the year he was convicted at 21 of sexually abusing a teenage girl, and two decades without an arrest for another sex offense.

Liska spent 60 days in jail and served two years' probation for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 1997. His identity also was included on a statewide sex offender registry for 10 years. Removal from the registry made it easier for Liska to start over in the community.

But in November 2011, Liska's attendance at his son's Boy Scout meeting at a District 87 school landed him back in the criminal justice system and onto the state registry — this time for life.

"It was my understanding that since school was not in session at the time that I could be there," said Liska.

The mistake brought a charge of violation of sex offender registration rules and another two years' probation. The registration requirement "felt like a slap in the face over something positive I was trying to do with my son," said Liska.

He and his wife, Synamin, live in an apartment on the city's east side and have been able to make ends meet since he started a job unloading trucks for a local retailer after a five-month job search.

Families struggle, too, with sex offender rules, said Liska's wife.

"I knew about his past, but it's never once bothered me. He helped me in ways no one else could after my father's death," she said.

Brian Liska has completed several programs, including Jobs Partnership, and is a mentor for a domestic violence class at Collaborative Solutions.

He is one of 800,000 registered sex offenders currently residing in the U.S. and one of 213 living in McLean County for offenses ranging from child molestation to predatory criminal sexual assault. Bloomington is home to 145 offenders; Normal 23, with another 40 living in rural areas. The whereabouts of five are unknown, according to the recent sex offender records posted on the state website. In 2016, three offenders in Normal and 13 in Bloomington registered as homeless. ..Continued.. by Edith Brady-Lunny

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

State lawmakers look to prevent sex offenders from being treated at certain psych centers

5-28-17 New York:

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- State lawmakers are looking at new restrictions for sex offenders.

The Senate passed a bill this week to prevent sex offenders from living in group homes run by the Office of Mental Health or the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Another Senate bill was passed last week that would prevent sex offenders from getting treatment at certain psychiatric centers.

Both bills are now waiting for approval by the Assembly.

Allison Scanlon and David Chudy with the group, Save Our Children’s Psychiatric Center, told us they welcome any bill that would keep kids safe.

Scanlon’s son received treatment at the WNY Children’s Psychiatric Center in West Seneca for about three and a half years.

“When that door clicks and shuts behind you, you can’t just turn around and open that door and get to your child,” said Scanlon. “You have to trust that those people and that facility are going to take the best care of your child.”

Scanlon told News 4 she had complete trust in the West Seneca facility. Her son was discharged about eight years ago after he was treated for four disabilities, he now has a job and is learning to drive.

Governor Cuomo is moving forward with plans to relocate the children’s facility to the adult Buffalo Psychiatric Center on Forest Ave.

Scanlon is worried the children will be exposed to adults and will lose quality of care.

In response to safety concerns, State Senator Rob Ortt told News 4 he proposed a bill to prevent sex offenders from getting inpatient or outpatient treatment at the same facility or location as a children’s psychiatric facility.

“That needs to be in place,” said Scanlon. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

GPS Devices to Be Removed From Many Missouri Sex Offenders

5-23-17 Missouri:

A preliminary injunction will require Missouri to remove GPS monitoring devices from hundreds of sex offenders after they were recently required to wear them.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A court ruling requires Missouri to at least temporarily remove GPS monitoring devices from some sex offenders after officials recently required they wear the appliances.

Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green granted the injunction Monday as part of a lawsuit against the state on behalf of a sex offender from St. Charles County, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2rOvWcS ) reported.

"We are hoping to have a permanent injunction," said Matt Fry, the offender's attorney.

The Department of Corrections Board of Probation and Parole said it installed more than 360 GPS ankle monitors on sex offenders in April because of new security requirements passed by the Legislature. Lifetime monitoring was not part of the offenders' original sentencing agreements.

Officials told the offenders the monitoring requirements are part of a revised Missouri criminal code that went into effect in January. Offenders who were either found guilty or pleaded guilty to various sex crimes committed on or after Aug. 28, 2006, were subject to the new requirements.

"Those portions were supposed to deal with people sentenced to lifetime monitoring," said Republican Sen. Bob Dixon, who co-sponsored the bill that updated the criminal code. "If they try to apply it to everybody else, then of course that's not right."

The lawsuit was filed by the offender, who is only named by initials "D.G." for security reasons, after he found out the new requirements also pertained to about 500 others who already completed state supervision. D.G. pleaded guilty to a sex crime and completed five years of probation in 2016. He found out about lifetime monitoring in March. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Debate over sex offenders moves to court as California undertakes prison parole overhaul

5-22-17 California:

A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is claiming California prison officials have undermined last fall’s ballot measure to overhaul the state’s parole process by excluding sex offenders from consideration for early release.

The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, which advocates for the rights of those convicted of sex crimes and their families, says the exemption — written into newly released guidelines to implement Proposition 57 — “impermissibly restricts and impairs the scope” of the initiative.

Those regulations were released in March and won initial approval from state regulators a month later. But the original ballot measure did not exclude inmates convicted of sex crimes from the chance of getting an earlier hearing before the state parole board.

The group filed the lawsuit in late April against the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its director, Scott Kernan. It argues the new rules are unconstitutional and it asks a judge to order corrections officials to withdraw and repeal them, according to the complaint filed in Sacramento County.

“We want the benefits of Proposition 57 to be provided to people who have been convicted of ‘non-violent’ sex offenses,” said attorney Janice Bellucci, who is representing the alliance and an inmate who brought the case forward. “It is a basic rule of law that regulations cannot be broader than the law that they are implementing.”

A spokesperson for the corrections agency said neither Kernan nor the department could comment on the pending litigation.

Debate over the treatment of sex offenders under Proposition 57 has simmered since last fall’s campaign season. But at that point, the outcry came from law enforcement officials and prosecutors who argued they did not want to see the ballot measure’s benefits extended to rapists and child molesters.

The sweeping initiative, approved by 65% of voters, gave new power to the State Board of Parole Hearings to grant early release to prisoners whose primary sentences are for crimes not designated as “violent” under California law. It also provided new ways for all inmates to earn time credits toward their sentences for good behavior and for enrolling in certain career, rehabilitation and education programs.

Opponents of Proposition 57 warned that the list of crimes under the violent felony penal code was short and porous, inspiring efforts in the Legislature this session to expand the definition of what constitutes a violent crime under state law. ..Continued.. by Jazmine Ulloa Contact Reporter

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

How to Measure 1,000 Feet for the Sex Offender Residential Restriction

5-20-17 North Carolina:

Under G.S. 14-208.16, a registered sex offender may not reside “within 1,000 feet of the property on which any public or nonpublic school or child care center is located.” What’s the right way to measure those 1,000 feet? As the crow flies? Property line to property line? Building to building?

The statute is susceptible to multiple interpretations, and the issue has yet to be explored in North Carolina’s appellate courts. My sense is that not all 100 sheriffs in North Carolina apply the law in exactly the same way. And that’s understandable, because I can think of more than one interpretation that makes sense as a policy matter.

For example, a strict property-line-to-property-line approach isn’t a great fit in a rural area where a person’s actual residence might be many thousands of feet from the edge of his or her property. And measuring the distance as the crow flies may fail to take into account barriers like rivers and interstate highways that might effectively buffer a school or child care center by more than the required distance. It’s also challenging to apply the law to rental properties, where a registrant’s individual unit might be more than 1,000 feet from a protected place, but portions of the broader complex—perhaps including common recreation areas, like a perimeter walking trail—fall within the prohibited radius. All of these questions (and many more) have come up in real life.

Even if the “right” way to measure the distance may be open question for now, I do think the statute itself may give us some answers. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Colorado’s pricey polygraph testing of sex offenders under fire as critics target accuracy, expense

See also: Professional polygrapher holds position of power on state’s sex-offender treatment board Now folks can determine whether the system is fair and balanced!

5-14-17 Colorado:

Psychologist calls state’s $5 million polygraph program “grossly excessive” as state legislature examines cost

Colorado has spent more than $5 million to administer polygraphs on convicted sex offenders over the last seven years despite concerns that the tests are so unreliable they can’t be used as evidence during civil or criminal trials.

Polygraphs help officials decide which prisoners convicted of sex offenses are suited for release from prison by probing their sexual history, attitudes about their crimes and whether they are committing new offenses. They also guide how offenders on parole or probation are supervised.

“The polygraph really gives useful information,” said Lenny Woodson, administrator for the Colorado Department of Corrections’ Sex Offender Treatment and Monitoring Program. “And we’ve made it clear in our standards that it isn’t to be used in isolation. We’re using as many avenues as possible to make treatment decisions.”

But a bipartisan cross-section of legislators and a retired judge have joined with offenders and their families to question the validity of the tests. They contend too much weight is placed on what they argue is little more than junk science. Flawed polygraphs can complicate efforts for low-risk sex offenders to get paroled and lead to new restrictions for parolees or probationers, critics say. Failure to take the tests can lead to sanctions, including eventual revocation to prison.

Studies show that up to 70 percent of U.S. states polygraph sex offenders, but experts have testified that Colorado uses the tests aggressively, even polygraphing juvenile offenders for consensual sexting. Critics contend an entrenched and profitable cottage industry, rife with conflicts of interests, has grown up around polygraphing sex offenders in Colorado. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Legislation updating, streamlining sex offender registration becomes law

“The purpose of the sex offender registry continues to be public safety—to make sure law enforcement knows where registered sex offenders are living, and making that information available to our citizens.” This is a Political Ruse, knowing where these folks live does not protect the public; Politicians want folks to believe that, but explain how that registry protects anyone! It doesn't! How many former murderers live in your neighborhood?

5-12-17 Oklahoma:

Legislation improving the state’s sex offender registry law has been signed by the governor. Senate Bill 217, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Mike Osburn, modifies Oklahoma’s current sex offender registration law to streamline the notification process between local law enforcement, the courts and the Department of Corrections and, in certain cases, will require notification of the Department of Human Services as well. It also directs courts assigning sex offender registration levels to follow the guidelines used by the state’s sex offender level assignment committee.

“The purpose of the sex offender registry continues to be public safety—to make sure law enforcement knows where registered sex offenders are living, and making that information available to our citizens,” said Griffin, R-Guthrie. “This legislation streamlines the notification process, ensures greater consistency in assigning levels for registration, and adds an additional requirement for informing DHS when a sex offender returns to a home where his or her minor children, step-children or grandchildren live.”

“When a convicted sex offender reenters society, it is important to maintain checks and oversight. At the end of the day the goal is to protect Oklahoma children and all law abiding citizens,” said Osburn, R-Edmond. “Senator Griffin and I want to thank our fellow members for their support on this measure and to Governor Fallin for signing it into law.”

The DHS notification requirement was a request of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. Current law allows registered sex offenders to live with their own children, step-children or grandchildren, but under the provisions of SB 217, when the sex offender returns to that home, DHS will be notified. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

PD: Wanted Modesto child molester killed in Arizona crash

5-11-17 Arizona:

Kevin Robertson led officers on high-speed chase in Arizona, police say

KINGMAN, Ariz. (KCRA) — A Modesto man who was wanted on child molestation charges was killed after he led police in Arizona on a high-speed chase and crashed into a pole, police said Thursday.
Advertisement

Modesto police issued an alert on Tuesday in search of Kevin Marcus Robertson, 37, who molested a child under the age of 10 who lived with him, according to the police department.

Robertson left his home in southeast Modesto before officers arrived Tuesday morning and was last seen escaping officers in the Madera area, police said.

Modesto police contacted the Kingman Police Department about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday because they had information that Robertson was in the Kingman area.

Robertson was reportedly despondent, suicidal and believed to be armed with a handgun, police said.

Soon after, a Kingman police officer saw Robertson in his vehicle in a parking lot on East Andy Devine Avenue.

Robertson refused to obey the office's commands and drove off, leading officers on a chase of up to 95 mph before he crashed into a visitor sign post, according to the Kingman Police Department.

Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown if Robertson crashed intentionally, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety was investigating the crash.

The road was closed for about 10 hours during the investigation.

No additional details were released. ..Source. by Sarah Heise

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

NY Senate wants to prohibit incarcerated sex offenders from possessing pictures of any minor

5-11-17 New York:

NY Senate wants to prohibit incarcerated sex offenders from possessing pictures of any minor see Senate Bill

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

State drops sex offender case

5-9-17 Florida:

The 12th Circuit State Attorney Office has dropped a case against a man accused of failing to register as a sex offender. The Holmes Beach Police Department arrested Brian Edward Owens for failing to register in July 2016, when he was living in Holmes Beach.

The state decided not to prosecute in January due to evidence that came to light after the charges were brought and, in May, released a department memo explaining the decision.

The defense provided the state with a 2011 court order from Indiana, which “specifically states that the defendant is not required to register because his conviction predated the registry,” Assistant State Attorney Shanna Sue Hourihan wrote in the memo.

Owens, now 57, had been convicted of a 1985 attempted rape in Indiana, the memo states.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported in May that Owens was a transient in Anna Maria, with his last registration in March.

HBPD arrested Owens July 27 after a tip about an unregistered sex offender residing at a residence on the 2700 block of Avenue C.

While the state determined Owens’ case was an exception, state law requires sex offenders to register in any county they reside within 48 hours of moving to a permanent or temporary residence or every 30 days if transient. ..Source.. by Kathy Prucnell

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Ormond Beach residents concerned about multiple sex offenders living in single homes

5-8-17 Florida:

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Residents of one Ormond Beach home have expressed concern that dozens of convicted sex offenders are living in their neighborhood, with many homes housing more than one offender.

When one mother moved in with her five children, she didn't realize there were so many sex offenders living in the area, and didn't realize so many would move in later.

"It's kind of scary," she said. "There's so many of those people around here."

Once in the neighborhood, the woman, who asked not to be identified, said she was alerted every time a registered sex offender moved into the neighborhood.

"I just kept getting notices in the mail left and right," she said.

The woman's oldest son, Isaiah Gomillion, 19, said he helps take care of his three younger brothers and keeps track of where the sex offenders in the neighborhood live.

"I do watch the houses that have sex offenders and everything else and it sketches me out," he said.

Gomillion's mother said she, likewise, makes sure her children are safe.

"I keep a close eye on my kids, definitely," she said. "They're in the house a lot, or within this gate, and that's why I have a pit bull."

Law enforcement officials said they have not had any enforcement issues with the sex offenders living in the area.

Within a mile of the concerned resident's home, state records show there are at least 60 registered sex offenders. ..Source.. by Samantha Manning

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

St. Joe’s nurse pleads guilty to sexual misconduct, drug charge

5-5-17 New York:

A former nurse at St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers has admitted to giving drugs and having sexual contact with a patient who was receiving treatment at the Saranac Lake facility.

Jessica Dresser, 31, of Plattsburgh, pleaded guilty this week to one count of sexual misconduct and one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, both of which are misdemeanors, according to a press release from the state Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.

Dresser will be sentenced next month to 60 days in jail and six years of supervised probation, the press release states. As a condition of her plea, she agreed to surrender her nursing license, and her name will be entered on the state sex offender registry.

The Justice Center says Dresser engaged in sexual conduct with a person receiving in-patient treatment for an opioid addiction in February 2016. On one of those occasions, Dresser gave the victim a controlled substance prior to the sexual contact.

Under the state’s penal law, sexual contact of any kind between an employee and a resident at a facility operated, licensed or certified by the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services is a crime. St. Joseph’s is licensed by OASAS.

“The defendant not only violated the law to satisfy her own sexual gratification,” Justice Center Special Prosecutor Gunning said in the release, “but she also subjected the victim to a possible setback in treatment. People responsible for the care and rehabilitation of those who suffer from addiction need to know that disruptions in treatment caused by such misconduct will not be tolerated.”

Dresser is scheduled to be sentenced June 23 in Franklin County Court in Malone.

Gunning thanked the Saranac Lake Police Department and state police for their assistance with the investigation and arrest. Justice Center Supervising Assistant Special Prosecutor Rachel Dunn is prosecuting the case. ..Source.. by Staff

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Bill to limit sex offenders in any one facility approved R.I. House

5-5-17 Rhode Island:

The measure would limit to 10 the number of sex offenders in facilities that receive state funding.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A bill to limit the number of sex offenders in facilities such as Harrington Hall was approved by a vote of 59 to 8 in the Rhode Island House on Thursday.

Sponsored by Rep. Robert Lancia, R-Cranston, the bill would limit to 10 percent the number of sex offenders who could live at facilities receiving state funding. Hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care and psychiatric facilities would be exempt. The measure was endorsed by House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, whose district includes Harrington Hall, the state’s largest homeless shelter.

Rep. Anastasia P. Williams and Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, both of Providence, argued against H-5159, saying that imposing a limit would result in more sex offenders living in Providence. Anyone voting for the measure “is voting against every child in the city of Providence,” Williams said. Almeida said: “Wherever there’s an issue in this state, it gets dumped in Providence.”

Lancia countered that the bill was an effort to seek a permanent solution. “We’re not trying to dump people,” he said. “We want everyone at the table working on a solution.”

The bill would give the administration of Governor Gina Raimondo until Jan. 1 to find a solution. After that, a facility exceeding the limit would have to send sex offenders elsewhere, but that is a problem. Federal law bans sex offenders from living in federally subsidized housing, and Rhode Island bans them from living within 300 feet of a school, or 1,000 feet for Level III offenders, who are deemed most likely to re-offend.

Lancia said that Harrington Hall, which is run by Crossroads, has 112 beds, with 60 of them taken by Level II sex offenders. Every morning, “they are released into the community,” Lancia said. “There are no programs for them.” What the state needs, he said, is a dedicated facility. ..Source.. by Donita Naylor

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Prescott starts new program to monitor sex offenders

This system is excessive, infringing on several personal rights esp. for folks no longer required to register.

4-30-17 Arizona:

Sex offenders living in the City of Prescott are now under an additional layer of supervision.

As of April 1, the Prescott Police Department has implemented a monthly verification system called the Sex Offender Accountability Program (SOAP).

This system, used to monitor all sex offenders within the city — no matter their risk assessment level,
pertains to offenders who are registered, inactive, absconders and those currently incarcerated, according to a news release put out by PPD Chief Deborah Black.

The new initiative can be traced back to Black’s experience as the former police chief in Glendale, where a similar program was and still is in place.

“She’s bringing things up that she has seen successes with and wants to implement those up here,” said Dave Fuller, PPD Public Information Officer.

On Feb. 14, there were about 89 active registered sex offenders in the city. As of April 17, that number has dropped to 82, partially due to SOAP, the release said.

“Already we have contacted or located several (sex offenders) with warrants that have been arrested, and we have also found out that several are out of compliance, so we will be pursuing those through the court system,” said Deputy Chief Amy Bonney.

The program is a significant shift from what PPD was doing before.

“Previously, if there was a violation that was brought to our attention, we would certainly investigate it, but we didn’t have this level of accountability built in on a regular basis,” Bonney said.

Police departments are not required to randomly check on sex offenders, but they are at liberty to do so as often as they deem necessary. ..Continued.. by Max Efrein

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Signs will warn sex offenders to stay off school grounds

4-26-17 Florida:

Law enforcement officials will soon visit the homes of 760 sex offenders and 85 sexual predators in Marion County as part of a new program aimed at reminding convicted sex offenders that they are forbidden to be on the property of schools and child care facilities.

As part of the program, which is being spearheaded by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, officials will place 180 warning signs at strategic locations on each of the school district’s 51 school campuses. The large signs, which will be 3 feet by 3 feet, will include the portion of sex crime statute 856.022(4)(b), which restricts the locations offenders can visit.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods appeared before the School Board on Tuesday to float the sign request. The School Board agreed that the signs should be placed at schools as preventative measure to keep children safe. The sign movement was not triggered by a local incident.

“I was excited to hear about the program,” School Board member Bobby James said. “This is an excellent idea and thanks for bringing it to us.”

The sign implementation is the brainchild of Chief Deputy Robert Douglas, who was Woods’ pick for his second-in-command. Douglas was named chief deputy after Woods took office in January.

Douglas worked for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years until 2003. Soon after losing to then-incumbent Sheriff Ed Dean in 2004, Douglas served 11 years as chief of police in Chiefland.

Douglas approached Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum several years ago about the idea. Both men appeared before the Levy County School Board, which agreed with the plan. Woods heard about the program and asked Douglas to create the same program in Marion. Douglas met with all of the county’s law enforcement agencies, the State Attorney’s Office and School Board member Bobby James. ..Continued.. by Joe Callahan

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Bill cutting off public assistance for non-compliant Megan's Law registrants passes the Pa. House

UPDATE: Bill to Control Sex Offender Benefits Passes State House

4-24-17 Pennsylvania:

Legislation that would make convicted sex offenders who are out of compliance with Megan's Law ineligible for public assistance passed the state House of Representatives on Monday by a 190-2 vote

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks County, now goes to the Senate for consideration.

It would allow sex offenders' benefits to be reinstated immediately once they came back into compliance but would not be eligible for any missed benefits. However, it allows benefits to continue for their minor children even if a parent or guardian is a non-compliant Megan's Law registrant.

A similar bill, sponsored by then-Rep. Mike Regan, R-York County, passed the House last session but it died in the Senate. Regan, a former U.S. marshal, said the marshal service found a high percentage of non-compliant Megan's Law registrants by tracking them down through public assistance rolls. ..Source.. by Jan Murphy

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...