Agenda Packets - 2016/11/28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Iowa law went into effect in September 2005, and state officials say sex offenders are leaving the state. Theodore Paulson doesn't care where they live, so long as it's not near his two children. "Molesting a child, that's bad," Paulson says. "That will stay with the child forever. It's not like it goes away after a couple years." Paulson prompted Albert Lea to create a committee to write a sex offender ordinance. He's now a member of that committee. He says kids don't get a second chance, so why should child molesters? Paulson sits among his books on construction and wiring at the Riverland Community College library. He moved to Albert Lea from Waseca to attend college. The move was also for his kids. He says they have more to do here. He admits, though, he's always concerned about sexual predators. Four people in his family were molested. His fears were confirmed at an Albert Lea City Council meeting earlier this year. "And another member of the public brought it up at a council meeting," he says. "There were two of them living a block and a half away from where my son goes to school." Paulson verified the information through a Web site called Family Watchdog. The Web site maps the listed residences of registered sex offenders from states like Iowa and Wisconsin. Those states publish information about all registered offenders online. That includes people convicted of public nudity or indecent exposure, as well as kidnapping and rape. Thousands of people are listed. Officials admit often the information is incomplete and inaccurate. Minnesota only distributes information about Level Three sex offenders. That's about 100 people, most of whom are locked up indefinitely. But Paulson is worried about Minnesota offenders he doesn't know about, and those from Iowa. The state border is minutes away, and five Iowa offenders have legally moved to Albert Lea. "If we don't know who they are, how can we protect our families from the ones that are already convicted of molesting a child?" Pauslon asks. "And since the state won't tell us who they are or where they live, that's why I ask the cities to step in and prevent them from living near places where children congregate." Albert Lea City Attorney Steve Schwab says he will draft whatever the sex offender committee wants to implement. The ordinance will likely mirror what's in effect in Taylors Falls. Schwab points out that Taylors Falls doesn't prevent an offender from going to a school or park. And he says this will affect people convicted of crimes like statutory rape. He's also concerned the ordinance violates an offender's constitutional rights. "When you commit a felony you give up some of your rights. Does it mean you give up all of your rights, including your right to reside? That's the issue," Schwab says. "How restrictive can the city be? Or what if we passed it statewide? Does that mean Level Threes and individuals who committed crimes against juveniles could not live in the state of Minnesota? That's an interesting legal question. Basically we'd be closing our borders." Albert Lea Police Detective Frank Kohl is in charge of all criminal sexual conduct cases. He also monitors all people in the city on the state's predatory offender list. He says laws like this are motivated by fear. Kohl has worked in the field for more than 20 years, and says he can't think of one occasion where a sex offender re-offended. National and state figures indicate 90 percent of sex offenses each year are committed by first-time offenders. And Kohl says these laws ignore another fact of sex abuse.