Signs will warn sex offenders to stay off school grounds
Law enforcement officials will soon visit the homes of 760 sex offenders and 85 sexual predators in Marion County as part of a new program aimed at reminding convicted sex offenders that they are forbidden to be on the property of schools and child care facilities.
As part of the program, which is being spearheaded by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, officials will place 180 warning signs at strategic locations on each of the school district’s 51 school campuses. The large signs, which will be 3 feet by 3 feet, will include the portion of sex crime statute 856.022(4)(b), which restricts the locations offenders can visit.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods appeared before the School Board on Tuesday to float the sign request. The School Board agreed that the signs should be placed at schools as preventative measure to keep children safe. The sign movement was not triggered by a local incident.
“I was excited to hear about the program,” School Board member Bobby James said. “This is an excellent idea and thanks for bringing it to us.”
The sign implementation is the brainchild of Chief Deputy Robert Douglas, who was Woods’ pick for his second-in-command. Douglas was named chief deputy after Woods took office in January.
Douglas worked for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years until 2003. Soon after losing to then-incumbent Sheriff Ed Dean in 2004, Douglas served 11 years as chief of police in Chiefland.
Douglas approached Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum several years ago about the idea. Both men appeared before the Levy County School Board, which agreed with the plan. Woods heard about the program and asked Douglas to create the same program in Marion. Douglas met with all of the county’s law enforcement agencies, the State Attorney’s Office and School Board member Bobby James.
“They all like the idea and Bobby (James) said to bring it before the School Board,” Douglas said.
The Sheriff’s Office created one sign to show the School Board on Tuesday. Now that the board gave its blessing, more signs will be made and likely be put into place by the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. The school district and the Sheriff’s Office will split the $7,740 estimated cost of the 180 signs. The Public Education Foundation of Marion County, a fundraising arm of the school district, agreed to pay the school district’s portion, according to board member Beth McCall.
The signs will be placed on school grounds at the following locations: front office entrances, vehicle drop-off and pick-up lines, gymnasium entrances, football stadium entrances and baseball/softball field entrances. The signs will be supplied to the district, which will install them.
Lt. Carlton Curtis, a supervisor in the Sheriff’s Office’s juvenile division, said all the law enforcement agencies will team together to visit the 845 offenders and predators to give them a copy of the state child sex law. They will ask the offenders to sign a receipt of the document that states they have read and understand the law. Douglas said the offenders will also have to give a thumbprint to authenticate it.
Curtis said all the law enforcement agencies want these sex offenders to understand that they cannot walk onto school grounds, even to sporting events. The idea is that if one of these offenders were caught on school grounds in the future that they cannot use ignorance as a defense.
Florida law states that all people convicted of a sex crime against minors are considered sexual offenders. An upgraded sexual predator designation can be added by the court if the person committed a first-degree felony sex crime, or two second-degree felony sex crimes within 10 years.
Curtis said people convicted of sex crimes can be on their child’s school grounds in limited circumstances, such as in a car in the student drop-off or pick-up line or in the office to sign a child out of school. That same offender would have to provide school officials a written request to attend school functions, such as award ceremonies or other events.
If politicians stroke themselves any more on this issue in public, they will have to register. Is there a single sex offender out there who isn’t reminded almost daily they aren’t to be within so many (insert arbitrary distance here), of a school, park, or “other places where children may or may not randomly choose to congregate? So how does this program make ANYONE safer AT ALL?
Ben, IMO It is not meant to make anyone safer but to shove the word “SEX OFFENDER” in front of as many people as possible to continue the hysteria! Perhaps they should have a sign reminding parents that there are many teachers, law enforcement, politicians that are not registered as they have not been caught yet!
Someone should put in a public records request to the FDLE and the Florida Department of Education asking for the (a) the number of complaints, arrests and convictions in 2016 committed by a sex offender on school property and (b) (a) the number of complaints, arrests and convictions in 2016 committed by a school employee on school property.
That should be revealing.
Better yet….the past ten years!
They all pad themselves in the back in coming up with ways that can justify or make relevant their insignificant career positions and jobs. I can bet every registered citizen who actually have more brain power than politicians and deputy officers combined know what they should or shouldn’t do when it comes to schools/day cares. A sign is meaningless and will do nothing but create unnecessary fears. Good parenting and a good school administration is all that is needed and that has been around for centuries. The whole look tough on crime thing is old and overly played out already – with no positive results whatsoever. Waiting for the smart on crime and facts/evidence based era.
“Brainchild”? What are they talking about? When was the last time that we read of a sex offender going on to school grounds to do anything but take their own children to school? If Marion County paid a bonus for this ‘brainless’ idea, they should get their money back. Are the signs going to include drug dealers, murderers, kidnappers, and for that matter of fact…school teachers…they seem to be committing most of the campus sex offenses nowadays? When are facts going to start having an impact on these ‘public servants’?
Recent research by FDLE proves that these signs are nothing but a waste of tax payer’s money just to make politicians feel good about themselves. It will be so nice when ‘common sense’ returns from vacation and once again finds its appropriate seat in the legislature. Since when has going after a ‘problem’ that has so little impact on society costs so much in money, lives, and families and paid so little in dividends?
I may be wrong but don’t some of these statutes apply only to those on paper?
Need an Attorney or someone that’s familiar with this F.S. I was convicted in 2009 of a computer SO crime, considered the lowest level, nevertheless I am still an SO according to the government. But am I exempt because of the date of my conviction?
(4)(a) It is unlawful for a person described in subsection (1) to knowingly approach, contact, or communicate with a child under 18 years of age in any public park building or on real property comprising any public park or playground with the intent to engage in conduct of a sexual nature or to make a communication of any type with any content of a sexual nature. This paragraph applies only to a person described in subsection (1) whose offense was committed on or after May 26, 2010
Hey, if your not on probation and done with all aspects of your sentence….tell the cops to Piss Off. You don’t have to put up with them on your property if your sentence is done. Remember that!!!!
Besides that….what does the SO Parent do if they have to take their kid to school????
What’s really idiotic about this is that every time you re-register you sign off on a document that lays out all this stuff (at least this is so in Santa Rosa County) and so this is just another BS “tough on crime” political stunt by a local sheriff. I am wondering if it cannot be challenged in court on that basis because of this.
As is so often the case there has been no incident that necessitates this crap, just as the stats do not support the efficacy of public registration for life. don’t we have any politicians with any brains and integrity? Guess not…
Idiots. Idiots everywhere. How can people in these positions of authority be so stupid? 1 minute of Internet research would show them sources disproving their person-agenda driven ‘parades’. $7,740 of taxpayer money thrown into the trash. If I were living in Florida, I would make sure to write to all of these ‘intelligent’ officials and demand statistics/proof to back up this waste of taxpayer dollars!
Nowadays wasting tax payer dollars is of no concern to politicians and bureaucrats. They just want to leave the impression that they are doing something…anything.
It has already been mentioned, but if a person is done with their sentence and probation, and has a child going to any of those schools, they have every RIGHT to be able to attend any school function their child is involved in, every right to go sign their child out (without having to write a stupid letter), every right to go see their child play sports or what have you, I just don’t understand why in the world the govt of this state, or any other state, just won’t leave us alone after we’ve paid our dues. In the meantime, every released drug dealer, gang member, murderer, thief is snickering right now because they can walk right up to a school, move in right next to one, go to any event they want to with their kid and not have anyone bother them about it…….is there any legal challenge that can be done with this? I live in Duval, and they know better than to get stupid like this, but I don’t want Marion to get away with it and have the idea catch like wild fire for other idiot counties to follow suit
http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2017/04/school_sex_assault.html#comments
“They will ask the offenders to sign a receipt of the document that states they have read and understand the law. Douglas said the offenders will also have to give a thumbprint to authenticate it.”
Could someone provide the Florida Law or Statute that requires the Registered Sex Offender to a) read the document and state they understand it or b) give a thumbprint to authenticate it?
If this authority is not codified, they have no legal means to enforce it.
You are right, Alan.
Ive missed my daughter’s graduation,My oldest is graduating next month from air force and I dont think i can go my 2 boys graduate from elementary school i didn’t go.Teacher conferences I dont go.My daughter had throat surgery I take her to hospital just to be escorted around.I wont dare tell my kids school i dont want them to suffer for this.my offense occured on my 18 birthday.11th grade in high school I went to college and everything in a different state too because my p.o. know i wasn’t a pedophile but i haven’t been in trouble since 1991 my 11th grade year in now 44 and haven’t committed or been arrested for anything since.But my kids are paying the price.Now they hate law enforcement also.Im at my wits end now.And im about to just lose it.Im still being sucked in by new laws.I don’t even want them on my property and my neighbors are getting fed up with them too I tell them to tell them to move their car and they do they think it harassment now since 91 come on man .
Pedophile does not equal child molester – one of my pet peeves and I always feel compelled to point it out. pedophile is a clinical diagnosis – the majority of child molesters are not pedophiles.
The term ‘pedophile’ has come to be confused with ‘child molester’ much as has the term ‘politician’ with ‘public servant’. You are 100% correct in your definition.
Nothing more than political grandstanding my these losers Chief Deputy Robert Douglas and his minion Billy Woods (what grown man has the name Billy) to appear to being something instead of actually doing a real job.
These guys were most likely bullies in school and as “adults” they continue this pattern of getting off abusing those less able to fight back by their chosen profession of “law enforcement” aka paid bully.
DON’T let these pseudo “public servants” into your head. They need your fear to have any life – DON’T give it to them. Make them feel like the impotent high school boys they have never outgrown!
When they come to your door, say, “That’s nice.”, then close the door and don’t sign anything. Remember this: If the property is in someone else’s name, such as a spouse, that person has the right to openly protest by stating someone is trespassing, particularly if you’re not there. Yes, your probation officer can be charged with trespassing. Also, remember that other person is a witness. Surround yourself only with people you trust.