Look For Court Challenges To Little Elm Sex Offender Ordinances
Vince Leibowitz | Nov 07, 2007 | Comments 0
The Little Elm Town Council has approved two ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live and gather.
It sounds like something straight out of last week’s Boston Legal episode:
Council members voted 3-2 to restrict registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of places where children commonly gather, including schools, parks, libraries, day care centers and video arcades.
The council also passed an ordinance 5-0 that prohibits registered sex offenders – regardless of where they live – from going within 1,000 feet of places where children commonly gather. Town officials say they know of no other municipality that bans all sex offenders outright from certain areas.
The key phrase is that the Collin County town’s officials are unaware of any other municipality banning sex offenders from certain areas.
Both of these ordinances are ripe for legal challenges. Though anyone is loath to defend the actions of a sex offender, such ordinances are highly controversial in that they put the already delicate balance between civil liberties and public safety on a very narrow tightrope.
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Filed Under: Municipal News/Issues
