A rural New York State county is considering crafting a residency law after several sex offenders were found to be living near area schools.
At the beginning of this school year, Essex County Sheriff Richard Cutting sent a notice to area superintendents advising them to check the Sex Offender Registry. In the process, the county discovered 11 sex offenders living near schools and other youth facilities. Sheriff Cutting says that’s a very serious concern.
Essex County had considered a local sex offender residency law in 2007 and 2008, but at that time, it was tabled. Now, in the rural Adirondack county, Board of Supervisors Chair Randy Douglas says finding 11 sex offenders living near youth facilities is a concern, and they need to craft a law that would survive court challenges.
Essex County Attorney Dan Manning says he’s just getting preliminary information about the county’s plan to consider a local sex offender residency law. Manning notes there are numerous legal factors to consider.
Warren County has implemented a sex offender residency law prohibiting convicted, registered sex offenders from living within 1-thousand feet of schools, day care centers and playgrounds. County Board of Supervisors Chair Dan Stec says they enacted one because New York state has failed to tighten regulations.
According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act does not restrict where a registered sex offender may live. But if the offender is under parole or probation supervision, other state laws may impose a 1-thousand foot limit from a youth facility.
