More sex offenders could be publicized on state Web site
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The names, home addresses and even workplaces of significantly more sex offenders would be posted on the State Patrol's registry Web site under a bill considered by lawmakers on Wednesday.
If the bill isn't passed -- and Nebraska doesn't publicize those sex offenders who aren't even considered likely to re-offend -- the state could loose $60,000 in federal funding.
"It would substantially change the requirements," Col. Bryan Tuma, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, said of the bill (LB957) from Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha.
The patrol operates a Web site where residents can find the names, addresses and pictures of sex offenders who are considered to be at a high risk of re-offending. It's a popular tool among residents and can even sway decisions about where people choose to live.
Currently, only those sex offenders who are considered a high risk to re-offend are put on the public registry that can be viewed by anyone. Should the bill pass, the name of everyone convicted of a sexual offense that carries a sentence of at least one year would be put on the public registry, regardless of whether they are likely to re-offend.
Tuma, who supports the bill, said he was unsure how many more people might be listed on the public registry should it pass. But it's expected the increase would be substantial.
Besides adding more names, more information about the offenders would be on the Web, including where they work.
That may have prevented the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old Lincoln boy at a convenience store in October, according to testimony from the boy's family, submitted to lawmakers by a friend. The convenience store employee, who was a registered sex offender, killed himself the same day of the alleged assault, shortly after learning police were investigating him.
The family said they checked the registry and would not have allowed their boy to go to the convenience store just blocks from his school had they known a sex offender worked there.
But a lawmaker known for stopping bills he doesn't like appears opposed to the measure because it would list all sex offenders, not just those considered dangerous because they are likely to re-offend. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha questioned whether it's smart to pass laws because of the threat of losing federal dollars.
"Is this reasonable on its face?" said Chambers, a member of the Judiciary Committee, which considered the bill Wednesday. The main reason Ashford said he introduced the measure is to comply with federal legislation passed in 2006 that Chambers said was passed by the "lunkheads in Congress."
The federal legislation says that if Nebraska and other states don't publicly register all people convicted of sexual offenses and take other steps, they could lose out on federal grant dollars for local law enforcement.
In Nebraska, not passing the legislation could mean the loss of about $60,000.
That's one reason for Tuma's support of the measure, along with the fact that getting in step with the federal law will help create a nationwide registry of sex offenders. Now, he said, there is a patchwork of state laws and registries.
A uniform one could make it easier to pin down whether new residents of the state are registered as sex offenders in other states, he said.
A man who researches criminal justices issues in Nebraska and publishes a newsletter on them testified against the measure Wednesday as a misguided approach to the problem of sex offenders.
"A sex offender needs the stability of a job and home to refrain from sexual offenses," said Mel Beckman. "What's needed ... is a great deal more emphasis on after care when they leave the regional center or prison."
Another bill (LB735) heard Wednesday by the Judiciary Committee would restrict where sex offenders could work. Under the bill from Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln, local governments could keep sex offenders from working within 500 feet of a school or childcare center.
They can already keep sex offenders from living within 500 feet of a school or childcare center.
On the Net:
Nebraska Legislature: http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov
Nebraska Sex Offender Registry: http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/SOR/find.cfm
If the bill isn't passed -- and Nebraska doesn't publicize those sex offenders who aren't even considered likely to re-offend -- the state could loose $60,000 in federal funding.
"It would substantially change the requirements," Col. Bryan Tuma, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, said of the bill (LB957) from Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha.
The patrol operates a Web site where residents can find the names, addresses and pictures of sex offenders who are considered to be at a high risk of re-offending. It's a popular tool among residents and can even sway decisions about where people choose to live.
Currently, only those sex offenders who are considered a high risk to re-offend are put on the public registry that can be viewed by anyone. Should the bill pass, the name of everyone convicted of a sexual offense that carries a sentence of at least one year would be put on the public registry, regardless of whether they are likely to re-offend.
Tuma, who supports the bill, said he was unsure how many more people might be listed on the public registry should it pass. But it's expected the increase would be substantial.
Besides adding more names, more information about the offenders would be on the Web, including where they work.
That may have prevented the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old Lincoln boy at a convenience store in October, according to testimony from the boy's family, submitted to lawmakers by a friend. The convenience store employee, who was a registered sex offender, killed himself the same day of the alleged assault, shortly after learning police were investigating him.
The family said they checked the registry and would not have allowed their boy to go to the convenience store just blocks from his school had they known a sex offender worked there.
But a lawmaker known for stopping bills he doesn't like appears opposed to the measure because it would list all sex offenders, not just those considered dangerous because they are likely to re-offend. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha questioned whether it's smart to pass laws because of the threat of losing federal dollars.
"Is this reasonable on its face?" said Chambers, a member of the Judiciary Committee, which considered the bill Wednesday. The main reason Ashford said he introduced the measure is to comply with federal legislation passed in 2006 that Chambers said was passed by the "lunkheads in Congress."
The federal legislation says that if Nebraska and other states don't publicly register all people convicted of sexual offenses and take other steps, they could lose out on federal grant dollars for local law enforcement.
In Nebraska, not passing the legislation could mean the loss of about $60,000.
That's one reason for Tuma's support of the measure, along with the fact that getting in step with the federal law will help create a nationwide registry of sex offenders. Now, he said, there is a patchwork of state laws and registries.
A uniform one could make it easier to pin down whether new residents of the state are registered as sex offenders in other states, he said.
A man who researches criminal justices issues in Nebraska and publishes a newsletter on them testified against the measure Wednesday as a misguided approach to the problem of sex offenders.
"A sex offender needs the stability of a job and home to refrain from sexual offenses," said Mel Beckman. "What's needed ... is a great deal more emphasis on after care when they leave the regional center or prison."
Another bill (LB735) heard Wednesday by the Judiciary Committee would restrict where sex offenders could work. Under the bill from Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln, local governments could keep sex offenders from working within 500 feet of a school or childcare center.
They can already keep sex offenders from living within 500 feet of a school or childcare center.
On the Net:
Nebraska Legislature: http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov
Nebraska Sex Offender Registry: http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/SOR/find.cfm
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Warren wrote on Feb 1, 2008 7:59 AM:
Willy wrote on Jan 31, 2008 2:50 PM:
Concearned wrote on Jan 31, 2008 12:35 PM: