![[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House.](https://warwickpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RI-State-House-2-350x263.jpg)
STATE HOUSE — The Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick) and Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Warwick) that would mandate the notification of parents of schoolchildren when sex offenders are living near school bus stops.
The measure now heads to the governor’s office.
The legislation (2017-S 0608Aaa, 2017-H 5724Aaa) would require local law enforcement to share information with local school departments for the purposes of notifying parents of students whose bus stop is within one 1000 feet of the residence of a level 3 sex offender.
“This legislation will establish an information exchange between law enforcement and schools to protect our children from the most dangerous sexual predators,” said Majority Leader McCaffrey. “If enacted, our law enforcement agencies, who already maintain a registry of sex offenders, would notify schools of any Level Three sex offenders living within 1,000 feet of a bus stop. This increased communication between government and its citizens will make our communities safer.”
In Rhode Island, sex offenders are classified based on their risk to re-offend. A level 3 offender is characterized as a high-risk offender.
“The legislation represents the strong commitment of the General Assembly to keep our children safe from sexual predators,” said Representative Solomon. “The essence of security is communication, and this will devise a system to keep parents informed when their children are in the vicinity of an offender who is at high risk to re-offend.”
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
This is a test
How many cases are there of registered sex offenders who live near bus stops that have assaulted these children? The number must be high to warrant this legislation. Or is this another case of a solution looking for a problem. No wait, it MUST be that two politicians are trying to advance their career on the backs of registrants who have already fulfilled their legal obligations and are now free citizens.
These legislators are harassing terrorists. We need have no concern for un-Americans who support this.
Phillip Garrido drove over 100 miles to snatch his victim away from a school bus stop.
2015 had about 0.1 percent of the missing children abducted by strangers, and there is no evidence that former offenders living within 1000 or 1001 or 11 feet had anything to do with that number. Watch your children crossing the road, that is where they will likely get killed, and don’t fall for fake legislation by government that doesn’t know how to protect you, but wants you afraid to let your children out of the house.
Just more stupid witch hunt BS. Completely useless and unnecessary, just like the Registries themselves. Do not support criminal regimes or their law enforcement criminals.