Tag: Community Notification

IL: Illinois legislator tells prison agency ‘do your job’ on sex offender notification

R H

Source: thecentersquare.com 10/3/23 A Republican state legislator says she has no interest in the idea of changing the state’s sex offender notification system that was the subject of a recent audit finding with the Illinois Department of Corrections.  The compliance audit released last week looks at IDOC for two years ending June 30, 2022. In total, there were 46 findings and 40 repeat findings. The findings include a failure to notify victims and local law enforcement after releasing sex offenders, including those who committed a predatory criminal sexual assault of a child,…

Read More

WA: State panel in damage control after confusion about eliminating sex offender notifications

R H

Source: komonews.com 10/2/23 KING COUNTY, Wash. — A state advisory panel is doing damage control after recommendations regarding sex offenders stirred outrage in the community. The recommendations are for community notifications to be eliminated when convicted sex offenders are released from prison and return to society.  … The MPC has found that community notification actually undermines public safety. It also recommends that sex offender registries should be reserved for law enforcement and not be made available to the public. The reasoning is that the attention notifications and registries bring can…

Read More

AZ: Maricopa Police Department to re-mail residents notifications of 52 sex offenders

R H

Source: inmaricopa.com 6/5/23  Maricopa Police Department announced residents may find sex offender notifications in their mailbox later this month. In a press release issued Friday, MPD said it will re-release these notifications through June following an internal audit of offender registration notifications.  … State law requires these notices be sent to residents living within 700 feet of an offender within 48 hours of their registration or change of address. However, MPD said it will send notifications again following the audit. The department stressed the people listed in the notifications are…

Read More

CA: Supervisors approve better public notification of people listed on the registry

R H

[10news.com – 5/5/21] The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved methods intended to increase public notification about people listed on the registry and placement of people labeled as “sexually violent predators”. One way, according to Supervisor Joel Anderson’s office, would be advance notification of the district attorney, supervisors and other community leaders before people convicted of a sex offense are placed in or move into a neighborhood. Based on a recommendation by Supervisor Jim Desmond, the board also approved better notification for Native American tribes, if people…

Read More

Canada: What a new report reveals about Manitoba sex offenders and victims

R H

[winnipeg.ctvnews.ca – 4/16/21] WINNIPEG — A Manitoba committee tasked with determining if the public needs to be notified about a sex offender has released a report giving the province a look at the offenders and the victims involved. The Community Notification Advisory Committee (CNAC) is a group of representatives from Manitoba Justice, corrections and Manitoba police agencies, along with medical or therapeutic practitioners and civilian members. The committee was created in 1995 to review sex offender cases referred to it by police agencies, and recommend if the public should be…

Read More

NJ: Committee Advances Megan’s Law Initiative

Admin

The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee has advanced a Megan’s Law initiative (S-205) introduced by Sen. Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove of the 9th District, to enhance the community notification process for sex offenders in a community. Under the legislation, “The state Attorney General would be required to establish a means for providing e-mail notifications when a sex offender listed on the internet registry registers a new address in a different county or zip code from the offender’s previous address,” a delegation…

Read More

OffenderWatch, Largest Sex Offender Registry Network in the U.S., Launches International Division (Press Release)

Admin

According to a report from the Ministry of Justice, the number of jailed registered sex offenders in England and Wales rose 82 percent from 2007–2017. As the number of sex offenders continues to rise, maintaining a unified and accurate sex offender registry is an important issue to many residents. The largest sex offender registry network in the United States, OffenderWatch, recently announced a new international division devoted to helping countries across the globe maintain a sex offender registry database that is easily shared between law enforcement agencies and can help…

Read More

AL: Colbert County Sheriff issues apology following “miscommunication” in sex offender notification

R H

[whnt.com] Tuscumbia, Ala. – Colbert County’s top law enforcement officer issued an apology first thing Monday morning. A lack of communication with other law enforcement agencies in the county led to a delay in residents being notified of a sex offender registration. There are 122 registered sex offenders in Colbert County. It’s part of Sheriff Frank Williamson’s job to keep up with them. Recently, however, one registration slipped through the cracks. “I want to apologize for my part in that miscommunication,” stated Williamson. Read more  

Read More

NJ: Opposition to Blanket Community Notification in New Jersey

R H

[sexlawandpolicy.org] Today, SLAP Center delivered a letter to Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Senator Christopher Bateman outlining our opposition to their proposal to allow for community notification of New Jersey’s Tier 1 registrants. New Jersey has three tiers of registrants, with only Tiers 2 and 3 currently available to the public. Tier 1 registrants are assessed as having little to no risk of re-offense and are not included on the publicly accessible registry, as such; the public is not notified of their registration information. Tier 1 registrants include people who were…

Read More

FL: Florida bill would effectively ban sex offenders from vacation rentals

R H

[UPDATED links 2/26/18] [floridaactioncommittee.org] A new bill concerning vacation rentals, HB 773, sponsored by Rep. Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud, is making it’s way through the Florida House of Representatives. (https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=768073.docx&DocumentType=Amendments&BillNumber=0773&Session=2018) The bill, among other things, would require vacation rental owners to give 24-hour notice to residents who live within 1,000 feet of the properties that sex offenders will be staying at the rentals. While it does not expressly ban sex offenders from vacation rentals in Florida, its effect would be that it would require vacation rental owners to inquire…

Read More

AL: Signs in Yards & Chemical Castration: Bad Legislation to oppose during the 2018 Alabama legislative season

R H

[reformalabama.blogspot.com] The following bills MUST BE opposed during this legislative season. SB195 By Senators Ward and Shelnutt RFD Judiciary Rd 1 18-JAN-18 Under existing law, community notification of sex offenders requires a flyer be mailed or hand delivered to required residences. The existing law also provides any other method reasonably expected to provide notification may be utilized. This bill would further authorize local law enforcement to post public notices on the property where adult sex offenders who are subject to community notification reside. Reason this is bad: This means the…

Read More

TN: Sex Offender Notification Bill Advances In Tennessee Legislature

Admin

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn.(WHNT)-A push for tougher sex offender notification laws in Tennessee came one step closer to reality Tuesday, part of an ongoing effort that originated in Lincoln County several months ago. A committee in the Tennessee Legislature approved HB 1860, a bill that would allow municipal and county governments to mail written notices and post flyers in communities that convicted sex offenders move to. … “This gives parents the knowledge of who is in their community,” said Blackwelder. “It doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime…In this bill there is an additional…

Read More