Martin County Sheriff: to ask county leaders to require sex offenders to live farther from schools, parks, day cares
Martin County commissioners Tuesday will consider expanding the distance registered sex offenders in the county have to live from playgrounds, schools and day care centers.
Current registered sex offenders living in the county would be grandfathered into the new rule, if it is approved.
Sheriff William Snyder is asking the county to change the requirement from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet away.
It’s an idea that resonates well with many parents, but there are others who feel the expanded living restrictions could do some harm.
So the surrounding counties have already an inacted 2500 feet. Now this county is finding an issue were too many registry persons are coming there so they wanna in-act 2500 feet to push the registrant further and further away sounds a lot like a banishment, which is unconstitutional. Now the city meeting will probably start off with the same copy and paste preamble where it says all offenders have a high and frightening rate of recidivism, and the safety of the children is paramount, only for the next crime to happen where the person was not on the registry
Eugene
If just ONE registered person is re-arrested out of a million, they use that ONE case as an example of how disgusting, untrustworthy and sick we all are.
That is like, because one cop uses excessive force and kills someone, that all cops are bad. In neither case is that true. There are good and bad people in all walks of life. But one bad egg spoils the bunch they say. So when one of us gets arrested, even for a registry violation, the neighbors rejoice and yell “I knew he was a pervert and couldn’t resist doing it again”. Doing what? Forgetting an email address you forgot about 15 years ago?
The Sheriff needs to do some research to see if what he is requesting has any documented impact on reducing sexual. There is definitely research that indicates well intentioned but ineffective rules like this have a detrimental impact on previous offenders.
It does seem like an election is coming. Perhaps someone could point this out in an editorial. Maybe it’s time for a new Sheriff in town. One who will make decisions on research, not redneck reasoning.
DM
A storm is coming. With each new Bull*hit law they pass, another crack opens on the wall of the dam. Something has to give and someone is going to snap. It might be us, it might be a neighbor, it might be law enforcement. But eventually we are going to be backed into a corner and some with cower down and some with turn into Cujo and defend themselves and lash out.
These are scary times for anyone on the registry. We win one minor battle in the courts, then face 3 to 4 new laws that are ten times worse. That Mars mission program is starting to sound sweeter and sweeter, even though it’s a one way trip.
When they say “Grandfathered in” do they mean they can stay or grandfathered into the new law meaning “They got’s to go?”
The reason I ask, is they “Grandfathered” me onto the registry 6 years after I had already been sentenced. So grandfathering can go either way. Although forcing someone out of their house is harder to do, but not impossible.
I see another lawsuit coming. To “grandfather” registered citizens into the new law is not only clearly an ex post facto violation, but now are attempting to force people from their homes.
Michigan had this same issue, and in our last lawsuit, the residency restrictions were tossed out for certain individuals who were convicted prior to the new laws.
I’m tired of the courts not seeing the registry as punishment. How is forcing someone out of their house against their will not punishment?
I believe you are misunderstanding the article. Those who are already there would be permitted to stay.
WHO IS ATTENDING THE MEETING TONIGHT? Let’s support Yvette Gregory!
Try to resist the temptation to blame the Martin County sheriff for this. It’s partly the fault of neighboring counties, and of Florida home rule in general. The proposal is evidence-based, in a funny way: it doesn’t reduce crime, but it does address an unfair workload placed on Martin County by neighboring counties.
I see an election coming…
I agree. The state needs to stop the residency restrictions where the state says it should stop. The restrictions should be completely taken off the books but the first place to start would be not allowing individual municipalities to extend the restrictions up to 2,500. There is no evidence that any distance restrictions makes children safer. These laws are strictly emotion based and punitive.