TX: Ft. Worth to consider SORR
Fort Worth city officials are considering adopting a residency restriction ordinance for registered sex offenders. The proposal would bar offenders whose victims were under 17 from living within 1,000 feet of child safety zones such as schools, parks, and youth centers. Senior Assistant City Attorney Trey Qualls explained that the ordinance could not be applied retroactively and warned that stricter rules might expose the city to lawsuits, since cities can limit where offenders live but cannot legally “banish” them.
Council member Charles Lauersdorf strongly supported the measure and even advocated for a 2,000-foot restriction, saying Fort Worth should be the first city offenders “cross off” when deciding where to live.
Other council members, however, offered notably thoughtful and balanced perspectives.
Mia Hall cautioned that expanding restrictions could create “hot spots” of offenders in low-income neighborhoods with fewer parks or schools.
Elizabeth Beck warned about legal challenges and emphasized that even a 1,000-foot limit already covers much of the city, urging caution to avoid “unintended consequences in a hastily applied crackdown.”
Carlos Flores supported strong protections for children but questioned whether a one-size-fits-all rule could harm rehabilitation, limit access to jobs, or strain police resources.
Michael Crain suggested consulting state legislators and advocacy groups to design a policy that protects the public without “overly burdening” those who have reformed and contribute positively to the community.
While all present council members favored some form of ordinance, the discussion reflected a rare measure of insight and nuance, as several recognized that blanket restrictions can have complex social and legal repercussions. City staff will continue researching before presenting a final proposal.
FAC encourages our sister org, Texas Voices to make sure their TX voices are heard in opposing such an ordinance.
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RM
THANK you for stating what you said about your missing paperwork. My case was also 1997 and ALL of my evidence was destroyed, even my probation information. The judge might have gotten me removed if I could have proven that I passed the probation sex offender mandated therapy. The therapist was so impressed with me, I got released from it early and my probation officer said that had “Never happened before”.
I was able to use that to get early termination of probation but no record was found years later for my removal of the registry. The only records found were that I was in prison for a few years. No records deciding your fate should ever be destroyed.
We are on it here in Texas!!!
Thanks MarySue!!!
Must be election season…
I love that cities Attorney, the truth will set you free, from having to move.
“Senior Assistant City Attorney Trey Qualls explained that the ordinance could not be applied retroactively and warned that stricter rules might expose the city to lawsuits”.
What are they gonna do, research each and every case to determine if 1) there was an actual victim, and 2) the victim was actually less than 17 years of age? For example, I was prosecuted federally for possessing CP. But, the feds didn’t produce evidence of a single victim and they never proved anyone was underage.
I have a kinda sorta similar situation. My case is from 1997. I was charged with violating F.S. 794.05(1) (“Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor 16/17 Years of Age”). I pled guilty, and the state never established whether the victim was 16 or 17 years old because legally, it doesn’t matter in Florida. Also, the offense occurred some time around his 17th birthday and nobody was sure of the exact date of the offense, so even the information (indictment) simply states that the victim was a person 16 or 17 years of age and that the offense occurred sometime during an approximately month-long period. And my case is so old that none of the original paperwork can even be found other than the information and the sentencing orders (nothing was scanned or digitized by the clerk of the court back then). On the Broward Clerk of the Court website, there are no viewable files in the case history. I don’t imagine it will really ever matter, unless I ever move to one of the few states where the age of consent is 17 (like in Texas), and then it would probably be a complete mess.
Where is all the evidence that supports the effectiveness of tightening residency restrictions??