Source: koco.com 8/5/25 Five registered sex offenders were arrested at Oklahoma City parks over the weekend, drawing attention to the difficulties faced by individuals with sex offenses in finding legal housing. Some have nowhere to legally live. In Oklahoma, registered sex offenders cannot loiter within 500 feet of schools, daycares or parks. Of the five men arrested at Scissortail Park and Myriad Botanical Gardens, four were identified as transients. City leaders said this highlights a broader issue. “The spaces people with sex offenses can legally live is just extremely limited,”…
Read MoreTag: Residency Restrictions (SORR)
OK: 5 men arrested at OKC parks for violating sex offender safety zone laws
Source: koco.com 8/5/25 OKLAHOMA CITY —Five men were arrested at Oklahoma City parks for violating the law prohibiting sex offenders from entering safety zones around schools, even though all incidents occurred after park hours when it was dark. … All three men, who are transients, face charges for entering the safety zone as sex offenders. The three men all have prior convictions for sex-related crimes. But park visitors told KOCO that they usually feel safe there overall. … The Oklahoma City Police Department did not comment on whether this is…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Executive Order Casts Dark Shadow
The White House recently issued an Executive Order that casts a dark shadow upon individuals required to register and others. According to that order, its primary goal is to “restore order to American cities” as well as to “remove vagrant individuals from our streets.” Although the stated goals do not specifically refer to individuals required to register, two provisions of the Executive Order include references to them. For example, the Order requires the Attorney General to work with several federal agencies to “track the location of sex offenders.” The Order…
Read MorePA: NIMBY on full display in Decatur Township are residents brainstorm “work arounds” to displace registrants
Source: Thanks to FAC for finding the article on lewistownsentinel.com McCLURE — The Decatur Township Board of Supervisors were flooded with questions and concerns from dozens of residents regarding an alleged halfway house specifically for registered sex offenders that was said to be within the municipality during the board’s meeting Monday. “I am going to start by what the township is aware of at this time,” shared Supervisor Mark Wolfgang. “We are brought into the loop at the same time most of you were because of Facebook.” Supervisors said they…
Read MoreFL: Ex-CA Politician Tries to Whip Up Hysteria to Make His Registrant Neighbor Homeless
Source: sjcitizen.com 6/18/25 Brian Pepin, a father of three and former member of the Poway City Council in California, publicly called for stricter sex offender residency restrictions during Tuesday’s St. Johns County Board of Commissioners meeting. Now a political consultant, Pepin recently moved to St. Augustine with his family and said that a registered sex offender moved directly across the street from their home. He shared the emotional impact this has had on his family during the public comment period. “Last week we learned that the guy that moved in across…
Read MoreIL: New Joliet Park Created to Force 11 Sexual Offenders To Vacate ‘Pedophile Palace’ On Cora Street
Source: msn.com 6/26/25 JOLIET, IL — Three years after concerned citizens of Joliet raised awareness regarding the opening of a two-story apartment building in the Cunningham Neighborhood to provide shelter for several mostly out of town registered sexual predators and convicted offenders, efforts by the city of Joliet to get rid of the so-called “Pedophile Palace” are finally coming to fruition. This week, for the first time, Joliet’s new Cunningham Neighborhood Park is being built, thanks to a generous donation of free labor and materials by Allied Landscaping of Joliet. John…
Read MoreFL: New Volusia County’s short-sighted ordinance makes it harder to track down homeless sex offenders
Source: wesh.com 6/25/25 VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —A new ordinance in Volusia County has resulted in an increase among the homeless sex offender and predator population on the streets. Deputies aren’t just checking on suspects, they’re surprising convicted sex offenders. However, the deputies don’t know where to look if the offenders are homeless and not showing up for check-ins. Nearly 1,000 offenders live in the county, and they’re subject to strict laws and quarterly compliance checks. If they’re homeless, they have to check in more frequently. Brandon Goggin with the Volusia…
Read MoreCA: Venice Break-In Highlights Alarming Rise in Homeless Sex Offenders, Study Finds
Source: westsidecurrent.com 6/5/25 VENICE — A man accused of breaking into the apartment of an 86-year-old woman at a Venice senior housing complex with alleged intentions to sexually assault her has a history of parole violations and criminal convictions — including failure to register as a transient sex offender — raising new alarms about the intersection of homelessness, registration laws, and public safety in Los Angeles. … The case comes just as a new national study is shedding light on what researchers say is a little-discussed but increasingly urgent problem:…
Read MoreCO: Longmont weighs ‘arbitrary’ sex offender residency restrictions
Source: boulderweekly.com 5/7/25 Data shows little efficacy for an approach that could open the door to lawsuits A weeks-long effort to create legislation that will limit where — and with whom — registered sex offenders can live in the city of Longmont came to a head Tuesday night. City council voted 6-1 to move a bill forward that would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of schools, daycares and public and private parks, and prohibit more than three offenders from living together. Council will hold a…
Read MoreTX: Texas city passes residency restriction to banish registrants
Source: abc7amarillo.com 4/23/25 HEREFORD, Texas (KVII) — The Hereford City Commission has enacted a new ordinance that restricts where registered sex offenders can reside, prohibiting them from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks, pools, arcades, movie theatres, and other areas where children gather. The ordinance, passed on Monday, imposes a fine of up to $500 per day for violations. Chief Landon Swan of the Hereford Police Department explained the rationale behind the ordinance, stating, “What we’ve found is if we utilize all these different locations with the 2,000-foot radius, it actually…
Read MoreIL: Nowhere to go People with sex offense convictions struggle to find housing in Illinois.
Source: chicagoreader.com 4/23/25 ll Ed Cetwinski could think was, “God, I’m out of prison. I can live my life a little bit.” He had just been released from Taylorville Correctional Center after five years behind bars. But even though he’s free from his prison cell, he’s still not free. Most criminal convictions in Illinois include a period of mandatory supervised release (MSR). It’s like parole, but it’s served as part of a prison sentence rather than in lieu of it. People on MSR must adhere to a litany of conditions,…
Read MoreFL: ‘Not welcome here’: Clewiston passes law to keep sex offenders farther away from schools
Source: fox4now.com 4/22/25 CLEWISTON, Fla. — Clewiston passed a new ordinance to push sex offenders farther away from schools. On Monday, city council passed an ordinance requiring sex offenders to live at least 2,500 feet from schools, parks, and playgrounds. Until now, offenders only had to live 1,000 feet away – the minimum state requirement. Clewiston Police Chief Tom Lewis said the city needed to act after seeing more offenders move in – taking advantage of Clewiston’s less strict rules. He said this change brings Clewiston in line with nearby…
Read MoreIN: New Indiana law tightens restrictions on sex offender relocation
Source: wfft.com 4/21/25 An Indiana bill aimed at strengthening safeguards on where sex offenders can live has been signed into law by the governor. The legislation was authored by state Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn. House Enrolled Act 1687 reinforces probation requirements for sex offenders who want to move to another county. It also adds new factors for judges to consider before approving a relocation. Those factors include whether the offender has close family ties—such as a spouse, parent, or adult child—in the area, along with stable housing and employment opportunities.…
Read MoreMN: More sex offenders reside in Brooklyn Park than other suburbs. The city may limit where they live.
Source: startribune.com 4/20/25 Officials question whether residency restrictions in other cities are pushing more registered offenders to Brooklyn Park. Matt Rabe, an inspector with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, answered a call that sparked a lot of questions. Rabe said the caller was trying to place a registered predatory offender in Brooklyn Park after a neighboring suburb had turned them down due to their city’s residency restrictions. Brooklyn Park doesn’t have an ordinance limiting where convicted sex offenders are allowed to live, but is surrounded by suburbs that do. The…
Read MoreFL: USF Reports Residency Restrictions Ineffective
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 4/13/25 FAC came across the following presentation on a study from the University of South Florida, showing the effects of residency restrictions in Tampa, Florida. The conclusions were that residency restrictions have been ineffective. In fact, recidivism and the number of sexual crimes increased following their implementation. The topic is introduced at 1:09:20 and goes to 2:02:30 Read the report on the FAC website
Read MoreFL: The village of sex offenders
Source: bbc.com 3/12/25 Set among endless sugar-cane fields in a remote part of southern Florida, Restoration Destination is a community made up of registered sex offenders. Created by a Christian ministry as a response to state laws which ban them from living close to where children gather, it is now home to more than 100 men who have been placed on Florida’s sex offenders register for life. Through therapy, counselling and support, Restoration Destination aims to reduce their likelihood of reoffending and help them reintegrate into society. Journalist Conor Garrett…
Read MoreIL: Bill proposes halving distance between sex offenders and schools to 250 feet
Source: mystateline.com 3/17/25 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new bill proposed in Illinois would reduce the distance convicted sex offenders are required to observe when living near schools. Senate Bill 2254, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Chicago), would reduce the distance sex offenders are required to stay from schools and playgrounds from 500 feet to 250 feet. Read the full article [Action alert for Illinois registrants and supporters: Call, write, and show up as soon as possible to support this bill to increase housing choices for registrants]
Read MoreIL: Illinois Senate democrats push bill to ease residency rules for sex offenders
Source: prairiestatewire.com 3/14/25 Illinois Democratic state senators have proposed legislation that would reduce residency restrictions for registered child sex offenders, lowering the required distance they must maintain from schools and childcare facilities. Introduced by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford and co-sponsored by Sens. Adriane Johnson and Mary Edly-Allen, Senate Bill 2254 seeks to amend the Criminal Code of 2012 and the state’s sex offender registration laws. Under the proposed changes, the restricted zone around schools and childcare institutions would shrink from 500 feet to 250 feet. Additionally, the bill removes day care homes…
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