07/02/2012
By Scott Cooper Williams
New voices are joining the debate over Green Bay’s sex offender ordinance, with the top local prosecutor and others calling for repeal of the 5-year-old law.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee has endorsed dropping the sex offender residency law because of concerns that it doesn’t protect the public.
On behalf of Lasee, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Greene recently met with city officials to express support for taking a new direction on the sex offender ordinance.
“Those who have looked at it seem to say it doesn’t work,” Greene said in an interview.
Also speaking out on the issue is state Rep. Karl Van Roy, R-Howard, who contends that Green Bay’s restriction on where sex offenders can live is costing taxpayers money, because some offenders must remain in prison.
Van Roy called the citx’s ordinance excessive and counterproductive.
“It’s not working, and it’s over the top,” he said.
Green Bay aldermen have debated for months whether to repeal the 2007 ordinance, which prohibits convicted sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of any school, park or other place where children gather. The ordinance covers virtually the entire city and requires offenders to seek city approval before moving to a restricted area.
Police officials and others have called the ordinance flawed because it has driven many offenders to live “underground,” without reporting their whereabouts. City attorneys recommend replacing it with a 150-foot barrier around schools and parks — allowing offenders to live in the city while barring them from specific sensitive locations.
Supporters of the existing ordinance, however, have balked at such a change, saying they fear it would lead to a new influx of sex offenders living in Green Bay. A City Council committee voted recently to recommend maintaining the old residency restriction and adding the 150-barrier on top of it.
“It’s just finding a balance,” Alderman Jesse Brunette said. “I’m not saying it’s a perfect solution.”
The City Council is scheduled to debate the issue July 17.
A recent meeting of the council’s Protection & Welfare Committee brought out Greene, Van Roy and others who wanted to join the debate.
Green Bay Assistant Police Chief Lisa Sterr said she supports dropping the residency ban because it fails to recognize that Green Bay offenders are going to return to their hometown whether they can do so legally or not. Sterr said she would prefer a system that encourages offenders to report their whereabouts, allowing police to keep an eye on them.
“This really isn’t working,” she said of the current law. “Is there a perfect answer that’s going to make everybody happy? No, there isn’t.”
No comments:
Post a Comment