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Brown wants new restrictions for area sex offenders

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Sex offenders living and working in Peachtree City would come under more scrutiny if Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown has his way.

Brown is proposing an ordinance that would prohibit persons convicted of sex offenses, predatory acts and crimes against minors from loitering or living within 2,000 feet of schools, public playgrounds, child care centers and the public library. Currently, Georgia law only prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet from schools, child care centers and other facilities where minors congregate.

Brown cautioned Wednesday that the proposed ordinance is not foolproof, but he thinks it has merit.

“There are a lot of opportunities for that kind of predator,” Brown said, noting that under current state law a sex offender can only be cited for failure to register as a sex offender or perhaps for violating probation until a sex offense is actually committed.

Brown has asked city staff to begin preparing a proposed ordinance for council to consider.

The Peachtree City Police Department conducts surveillance operations to spot potential predators, Brown said. Recently at Picnic Park near the All Children’s Playground, police arrested a resident who moved from California but had not registered as a sex offender with the sheriff’s office as required by Georgia law, he added.

Brown’s proposal would allow those convicted of sex offenses, crimes against minors and predator violations to drive, walk or bike near one of the prohibited facilities as long as they are passing through, he said. But such persons couldn’t loiter in the protective zones, he added.

Predator-type offenders tend to stake out a particular area with a concentration of kids, “trying to pick out kids who are vulnerable,” Brown said. Sometimes it’s just a matter of parking their car in a area populated with kids such as a city park, Brown said. In the recent Picnic Park case, the suspect had no kids with him and no other apparent reason to be at the park, Brown added.

“If that car’s not moving, we’ve got a problem,” Brown said.

Brown said he would like to see if bus stops also could be protected by a 2,000-foot radius, but it could prove difficult based on a Georgia law that prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet from schools, child care centers and other “facilities” where minors congregate.

Brown said the idea for such an ordinance came from a citizen who contacted him about two weeks ago, and as a father of two girls under 10, he sees the need for such a law. He pointed out how sometimes when his wife works, his daughters have soccer games at the same time, so he has to drop the older daughter off with an adult friend or coach so he can attend to the youngest’s soccer game.

“That’s horrifying to me that there could be some guy out there waiting to pick her off because of the situation,” Brown said. Just because a sex offender registers as required with county officials doesn’t mean they won’t offend again, Brown added.

Brown also noted that children who live within a mile of their school must walk to school instead of riding the bus, and this proposed ordinance would help protect them, too. But he is quick to point out the law is not foolproof, and it is up to parents and guardians to be vigilant about activity going on in their neighborhood.

The law would grandfather any sex offenders or similar convicted persons who live in their homes within the 2,000 foot zones on the date the ordinance is created, Brown said. As of Wednesday afternoon, he had not yet shared his proposal with the rest of council, so there is no barometer on whether the proposed ordinance would fly.

A similar law was upheld in Iowa by a U.S. Circuit Appeals Court which ruled it was not too restrictive on sex offenders, Brown said. He has also bounced the concept off about 10 or 11 people, and received no negative comments.

“People are well aware there is a real danger out there,” Brown said. “Hopefully this will help. It surely couldn’t hurt, I know that for sure.”

The police department has gained national recognition for its ongoing sting operation to arrest sexual predators making contact with children on the Internet. Suspects think they are chatting online with an underage girl but they don’t know she happens to be an adult — and a Peachtree City police officer. When a meeting between the two is arranged, officers are on hand to swoop in and make an arrest.

Brown said he will ask the Georgia legislature to consider adopting a tiered system for classifying sex offenders by the degree of severity of their crimes. That will make it easier for more restrictions to be placed on those convicted of violent attacks, as opposed to a person who may have exposed themselves and not conducted a physical type of attack, Brown said.