In a fascinating twist to Sex Offender Residency Restrictions, a bill pending in the New Jersey Legislature (S2066) also seeks to restrict the placement of a school bus stop or child care facility within a certain distance from persons required to register.
The bill reads, “The Legislature finds and declares that public safety will be enhanced by providing municipalities with the authority to enact ordinances to prevent convicted sex offenders who have committed crimes against minors from residing within 500 feet of a school, playground, or child care center, subject to certain statutorily-enumerated exceptions. The Legislature also finds and declares that the public safety will be enhanced by prohibiting the construction of new child care centers within 500 feet of the residence of a sex offender at high risk to reoffend, and by prohibiting school boards from locating school bus stops within 250 feet of the residence of a high-risk sex offender.”
Although we stand strongly opposed to exclusion zones of any kind and empirical research shows they do not work, this is a curious twist on tradition here. Restricting the landmark in addition to the registrant. That and the fact that it is a much shorter distance than most SORRs in Florida (which are 2500 in many municipalities) and the fact that it applies to only “high-risk sex offender”s, makes it less onerous, even if unconstitutional nonetheless.
You can follow the progress of the bill here: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/S2500/2066_I1.HTM
You hit it perfect Cherokee jack. Same with the 6:00– 10:00 curfew. You can have family’s all around you who have kids who are in there yards or in the streets playing all day who from 10:00 PM till 6:00 am should be at home in the house. But you cant live by a bus stop where they are at for 5 miutes in the morning and not even that long when they get off the bus. Or by the school which is typically closed by 5:00pm and dont open till 6:00 am at the earliest
It won’t pass. Very, very few bills granting relief for “sex offenders” become law. No victory here.
So one bill NJ proposes is sort of positive and the other post on another NJ ruling is negative. Roller coaster / seesaw effect.
We take baby steps and the Authorities plow us down and push us back.
This “public safety” excuse is a joke. Again I ask: Where were these concerns in the 80’s, 70’s, 60’s, etc, BEFORE Megan Kanka and when people still committed sexual offenses? If these ordinances and laws didn’t exist back then and life carried on as usual, then we don’t need them today. Period.
More of a dog following it’s tail how did they come to the conclusion that any of these ridiculous laws enhance public safety I dare them to quote a source or study proving what they are saying
I suppose a grandfather clause means nothing… I mean, if I were here first, that should take precedence over the argument to have me removed because someone decided to install something beyond my control.
correct – they cannot place a bus stop if you are already there. nobody is being kicked out.
nobody is being kicked out.,,,,,Not yet anyway.
Ben
in the 2000s a guy done 25 yrs he was a RP he and his wife owned a home across from a field they owned the home 30 plus yrs, in Husdon Florida
pasco county decided to build Hudson elementary school thinking they could push him out.. His house was directly in front of the school entrance it all came down to the RP was there first!, school was build anyway for the first few yrs a Pasco country sheriff sat in front of the school in front of his home after 2 yrs they stop that…
It is like me, the school bus stops right in front of my parents house. But since my charges are from 1991, they couldn’t make me move. They once moved the bus stop but then the parents cried it was too far so they moved it back.
They complained once but I nicely reminded the neighbors “Your kids play all weekend in front of where I live and you don’t say anything, but when they have to walk past the house for 11 seconds you have a cow?”.