Source: dallasexpress.com 10/16/25
[Texas residents: consider taking action with calls, letters, showing up to hearings, etc.]
Fort Worth officials are considering new residency limits that would bar certain registered sex offenders from living near schools, parks, and other child-safety zones.
The proposal would bar offenders whose victims were under 17 from residing within 1,000 feet of designated areas such as playgrounds, public pools, and youth centers, according to city attorney Trey Qualls. Council member Charles Lauersdorf said he favors a stricter version.
“To those currently sitting in prison who may be getting out soon who are considering where they’re gonna move, I want Fort Worth to be the first city they cross off,” Lauersdorf said during an October 14 Public Safety Committee meeting, according to the Fort Worth Report.
City data show roughly 3,200 registered sex offenders live in Fort Worth. Of those, 2,454 had victims under 17, and 1,577 currently have no residency restrictions.
Lauersdorf said he wants the buffer extended to 2,000 feet, double the distance recommended by the state. “There’s times when we could do better than other (cities), and we can be the city that others look to,” he said.
Qualls told the committee that while state law allows local restrictions, the ordinance cannot “banish” offenders or force current residents to move. “An ordinance from Fort Worth could not be applied retroactively,” he said.
Council member Mia Hall expressed caution about expanding the distance. “It could…
The logic for this banishment expansion doesn’t make sense. Fort Worth is stating past convictions for their data point instead of the recidivism rate of sex crimes involving ages 16 or under. We do not know if the under age sex crime was a first time offense or a recidivist offense. Why is this important? Because the recidivism rate for sex crimes is quite low, usually between 3-5%.
Yet, if we are going off of intent of this new residency rules, then the intent is not civil. It is banishment expansion. This non-civil intent was presented by Council member Charles Lauersdorf, who stated in the article, “To those currently sitting in prison who may be getting out soon who are considering where they’re gonna move, I want Fort Worth to be the first city they cross off.“
Remember, a ‘victim’ also applies to no contact computer crimes, because some child around the was victimized when you viewed their image online 🙄
Maybe Ft. Worth should be introduced to Janice and company.
Maybe F-Texas! can chime in on this. Don’t know what happened to him. Maybe he said FTexas! and left the state