TX: Officials discuss sex offender problem
The number of registered sex offenders residing in unincorporated areas of Johnson County increased from 370 in 2017 to 597 today, JCSO Chief Deputy Mark Reinhardt said. One residence that served as home to multiple offenders sat within 400 feet of a school, Reinhardt added.
County population growth in general plays a role in the increase, King said, but other factors play in as well.
“Cities have the authority to pass laws restricting sex offenders from schools and other places children are likely to be, but counties don’t have that same authority,” King said. “So a lot of sex offenders simply move out of the cities including Fort Worth and Dallas and into unincorporated county areas.”
Often times several of them live together in rent houses or mobile homes, King said.
King and other county officials have been working with state Rep. DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, and state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, to push for legislation granting counties the same authority to pass restrictive measures on where sex offenders may live. Although Burns and Birdwell have been supportive, they’ve so far been unable to convince the majority of their colleagues in the Legislature.
So are rates of reported sexual abuse greater in unincorporated areas than in cities? Or is this just a solution in search of a problem?
The reporter did not even bother to ask. Texas Voices ought to ask.
TEXAS VOICES are you working your legislature on this? Need to prevent poor legislation from getting momentum.
I’m gonna say it again- BEFORE Megan’s Law (aka Schindler’s list) was enacted, a person with a sexual offense did their time and went on with their lives. This is something a GOOD ATTORNEY who is fighting these laws and ordinances needs to address. It’s 2020, the registry has been around since the 1990’s. All of a sudden they’re worried about where people with sex offenses are living almost 25 years+ after the registry was made nation wide in every state? This just became a problem in 2020? How many horrible crimes against children by registered strangers happened there between 1995 and 2020 that they’re soooooooooooooo concerned about safety?
Another example of non productive copy cat laws from politicians with no facts and no imagination.
I find it telling that at no point in his remarks did he make a claim on how many crimes had been committed by these rural registrants, just that they are there.
He points out there were multiple registrants living within 400′ of a school but didn’t bother to add whether there had been calls or trouble from them. Just that they exist.
Had any one of those county registrants committed even one more crime, this bill’s sponsors would have made sure you knew about it, over and over again.
He didn’t have to address any crime because everyone knows they are doing a great job monitoring the people on the Hit List and it is keeping them from molesting children. That is why they need more money – to be able to continue doing an awesome job.
This country has so many citizens that are so hateful towards one another. It’s beyond disgusting. So much divisions and hatred. A person would have to be mentally blind not to see that everywhere these days.
What does the future hold for such a country? Think about that.