An Arizona town, Huachuca City, is getting a lot of buzz for an ordinance, approved last Thursday by the mayor and council, that will ban registered sex offenders from all public facilities. In other words, by late October, they won't be allowed in schools, parks, libraries, pools, gymnasiums, sports fields, and sports facilities, which will be considered "child safety zones." If sex offenders violate the new law, they'll have to pay a $100 fine. Repeat offenders will be charged with trespassing. Police plan to enforce the ban by relying on tips from the community (which I hope they double-check) and heavy patrolling.
The ordinance is being called "bold" and "unprecedented," and while it may seem a tiny bit draconian, it actually makes a lot of sense for this town. Turns out, Huachuca was having an issue with a registered sex offender spending time loitering around the public pool and taking photos, which made parents and children understandably leery.
Honestly, the most humanitarian, bleeding heart area of my brain thinks it's kind of a shame, I guess, if someone is registered as a sex offender but has actually reformed themselves, lives a quiet life, and would simply like to take a walk in the park someday. Still, maybe they're better off moving on from Huachuca ... especially now that this ordinance is in place. No one says they have to stay there! Plus, it's not SO severe a law; there are exceptions. Sex offenders can enter public facilities to pick up their children, vote in an election, or discuss with someone their kids' health or education. Seems fair enough.
Ultimately, it seems like this "crackdown" is an attempt by the leadership in Huachuca to protect its kids, and being that they were having what they call a "serious problem with some pedophiles being a nuisance," I really don't blame them for taking this measure. Hopefully, the ban ends up accomplishing what they hope it will.
What do you think about this ban -- too severe or makes sense?
Image via ICMA Photos/Flickr
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Comments 86
hmm.. i kinda support it, i suppose. it depends on how they handle these instances. in addition, it would concern me because there are people who end up on the registered sex offender for an offense not related to sexual acts or sexual acts with children. how many teens have you heard about now getting hit on the RSO list because they sexted pictures of themselves? or how many guys have you heard about that were maybe peeing in public (not condoning this, just saying) who then end up on the RSO for 'indecent exposure' (not necessarily a sex crime)?
i'm not defending those on the RSO list by a long shot, as many, many have every reason to be on that list and have folks be cautious of them. my concern is when someone makes a big stink about not being able to go to the public pool just because he accidentally peed on the back of a building after he left the bar at 2am... suddenly what was a great idea becomes overturn and we have to make more concessions to those legitimately on the RSO list when we shouldn't have to in the first place.
I'm totally ok with it.
"Registered sex offender" means many different things. They aren't just pedophiles and rapists. There are other crimes like peeping and flashing (and others) that are registered. There are also instances of legitimate marriages where the relationship began when one party was still underage and so the other was prosecuted and registered. If a criminal is legitimately trying to better their life and reform, taking away liberties will only give them fewer chances to succeed. I understand pedophiles being kept from public pools and playgrounds, but that's about it.
I think it makes a lot of sense. There was recently an article in our local paper about a guy I went to school with that molested children at the public pool. He's not a registered sex offender as of yet (there wasn't enough evidence to convict at the time). Either way, I do support this law and wish that more places had one like it.
i agree with this! can we have this law brought up to New York state?!