ME: Orrington residents to choose if they want to limit where sex offenders live

Source: bangordailynews.com 12/1/23

Orrington residents will choose if they want to enact an ordinance that prohibits people on the sex offender registry from living within 750 feet of schools and churches

About 35 residents, the board of selectmen, Town Manager Chris Backman and town attorney Andrew Hamilton gathered at the Center Drive School on Thursday to discuss which of three ordinances voters should choose if they decide to vote for the restriction of where registered sex offenders can live.

A special town referendum is scheduled for Dec. 11.

The public hearing and upcoming election follow months of advocacy and petition gathering from Orrington residents who were dismayed to learn the town did not already restrict where people on the sex offender registry are allowed to live.

Maine does not have a statewide residency restriction for sex offenders, but it offers language towns can adopt. Under Maine law, it would only apply to someone on the registry for a conviction of a crime against a child younger than 14.

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So this is all for show? City is assuming everyone will either vote of the City endorsed version, or all three which produces the same result? Might be a city ordinance or something that forces this to a vote, but there is no chance some version of this isn’t adopted.

So the registrants that have been living inside these zones, possibly for years, with no difficulty are suddenly too dangerous to just leave there for more years? Why?

And what does anyone want to bet that the one question that will not be asked is, “How many local sex offender registrants were arrested for a new sex crime?”

I wonder if this includes people caught with cp where the victim in the images are under 14. If that’s the case, this ordinance is even more of a travesty.

It passed
Orrington, Maine residents vote to pass ordinance limiting where sex offenders can reside

population 3812 and according to city data there is seven registered offenders.

“Orrington Town Manager Chris Blackman says the rule does not apply to sex offenders who already live in these zones — instead, it prohibits people on the registry from moving to these areas in the future”

surely the registry is not punishment if the goal is being able to ban people from moving to your city.