Tag: Residency Restrictions (SORR)

TX: Fort Worth Considers Tougher Sex Offender Residency Rules Near Schools And Parks

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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…

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IN: Funding loss could force several former inmates, including sex offenders, out of Indy rehab housing

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Source: wthr.com 10/10/25 An Indianapolis rehabilitation program for people just out of prison is running out of money. Without new funding, several former inmates, including registered sex offenders, could lose housing and supervision. The one-story brick home on the northeast side doesn’t draw much attention. No noise from inside. No decorations. A paper sign reading “no trick-or-treat household” stands ready by the inner doorway.   Eight registered sex offenders live here. For these men rebuilding from their past, this house is the difference between a roof and a relapse, a…

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CA: Redding motel under scrutiny after police say 18 sex offenders and arsonists are housed there

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Source: actionnewsnow.com 9/25/25 REDDING, Calif. – A motel on Cypress Avenue is getting attention this week after Redding Police found out that more than a dozen registered sex offenders and arsonists are being housed there. Recently, Redding Police Chief Brian Barner and his staff found out that the ‘Guestplace Inn & Suites’ on Cypress Avenue is housing 18 registered sex offenders and arsonists. Those receiving housing are apart of the ‘No Boundaries’ program. No Boundaries works in collaboration with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to house parolees who are fresh out of jail.…

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FL: Putnam County passes one of Florida’s toughest sex offender ordinances after ‘Predator Camp’ outcry

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Source: Florida Action Committee re: actionnewsjax.com 9/12/25  Months after a storm of community outrage over what neighbors called a “predator camp,” Putnam County has enacted one of the strictest sex offender ordinances in the state of Florida. The controversial park at the center of it all — CCM Park on Balsam Street — once housed more than 22 registered sex offenders living in proximity. The situation sparked public concern, a series of investigative reports, and ultimately, sweeping legislative action. Action News Jax Nicholas Brooks revisited the site this week and…

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OK: Limited housing options contribute to sex offenders becoming homeless

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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,”…

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OK: 5 men arrested at OKC parks for violating sex offender safety zone laws

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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…

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Janice’s Journal: Executive Order Casts Dark Shadow

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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…

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PA: NIMBY on full display in Decatur Township are residents brainstorm “work arounds” to displace registrants

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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…

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FL: Ex-CA Politician Tries to Whip Up Hysteria to Make His Registrant Neighbor Homeless

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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…

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IL: New Joliet Park Created to Force 11 Sexual Offenders To Vacate ‘Pedophile Palace’ On Cora Street

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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…

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FL: New Volusia County’s short-sighted ordinance makes it harder to track down homeless sex offenders

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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…

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CA: Venice Break-In Highlights Alarming Rise in Homeless Sex Offenders, Study Finds

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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:…

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CO: Longmont weighs ‘arbitrary’ sex offender residency restrictions

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Source: boulderweekly.com 5/7/25 UPDATE 9/18/25: Related link: Longmont City Council Passes 500 Foot Residential Setbacks For Sex Offenders; Limits 3 Per Household (this matter will be readdressed later in the calendar year by the council, it is important)   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…

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TX: Texas city passes residency restriction to banish registrants

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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…

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IL: Nowhere to go People with sex offense convictions struggle to find housing in Illinois.

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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,…

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FL: ‘Not welcome here’: Clewiston passes law to keep sex offenders farther away from schools

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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…

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IN: New Indiana law tightens restrictions on sex offender relocation

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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.…

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MN: More sex offenders reside in Brooklyn Park than other suburbs. The city may limit where they live.

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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…

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