Twin Lakes to develop sex offender residency ordinance

Twin Lakes is developing an ordinance that would restrict where convicted sex offenders could live within the village.

The initiative for the law comes from police Chief Dale Racer. He told the Village Board at a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday that in his three years in his post the  number of registered sex offenders living in the village has increased from four to 12.

tl-logo“I felt we had an obligation to protect our children and put our parents’ mind at ease,” Racer said. “I want to make sure Twin Lakes is not used as a depository.”

The village’s ordinance code currently is silent on sex offender residency.

Racer said he has researched 12 other municipal ordinances on sex offender residency. In Franklin, an ordinance with a 2,500 foot safety zone from areas commonly inhabited by children recently was upheld in court.

A 2,000 foot safety zone would effectively eliminate 80 to 90 percent of the village as area where sex offenders could live, said David Cox, village administrator.

Ultimately, such ordinances require a balance between rights of the offenders and the community’s interest in safety, Cox said.

Trustees supported Cox, Racer and the village’s attorney continuing to draft an ordinance to bring before the board at future date.

“I think this is something that is needed,” said Trustee Aaron Karow.

Cox said such ordinances often arouse discussion among the public; Trustee Jeremy Knoll said he would welcome that.

“I really hope the public speaks up,” Knoll said. “I’d really like to hear from people in the village.”

Paddock Lake, Silver Lake and Salem all have ordinances in place that restrict where sex offenders can live.

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  1. VDog says:

    Insane registry laws and restrictions did not prevent the perverts, Philip Garrido AND HIS WIFE from doing what they did! The registry laws, and especially the residency / work place restrictions, have done far more harm than good. Forget about all the cases of vigilantism and suicide; forget about the fact that while these laws are proposed to protect the children, they include children, while a huge percentage of those on the list committed crimes that had nothing to do with children; forget about the fact that study after study has proven these laws not only are ineffective, but have actually made matters worse. Forget about the fact that upon release from custody, sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates, not the highest. In fact those who receive counseling and treatment have outstanding records versus those convicted of other violent crimes! The fact is the registry and any restrictions should be limited to those who are proven child molesters and pedophiles; that Law Enforcement could handle and monitor effectively. Do you seriously believe a committed pedophile cannot walk or drive 500, 1000, 2500, 5000 feet or more? Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted miles from where Philip Garrido lived!

    I am sure we will see comments from hysterical, uninformed individual(s) who will suggest that all those on the registry should be locked up for life or worse and say there is no rehabilitation for these people. And for a few they are right, we need to focus on those! Once a person has served their time, that should be it. That is the foundation of this great country and its legal system. Don’t like it, move to China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, or wherever individual rights are ignored. If a person is a pedophile, lock them up for a long time and provide treatment. Treatment not working, keep them locked up. Many families are being destroyed for political expediency; children of those on the registry are being abused and ostracized at school. Whole families are forced into isolation and restricted from the work place. If the registry is to truly protect the children, then let’s focus on the pedophiles and child molesters’. Get rid of the residency/work place restrictions, focus on the loitering laws. Let the rest on the registry re-assimilate into society after they have done their time, become solid, productive citizens; part of the solution not the problem. The facts, (and the Garrido case) as well as virtually all of the research, and study after study have proven what we are doing now, mostly for political expediency and to appease hysterical uninformed parents is not working and is in fact making matters worse!

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