All registered sex offenders would be restricted from living, working or loitering near any place where children gather if the Westbrook City Council gives final approval to an ordinance that increased in scope Monday night.
After a review of registered sex offenders living in Westbrook, Police Chief William Baker concluded that many 10-year registrants are as dangerous or more dangerous than lifetime registrants and should be included in the ordinance. The Westbrook ordinance, based on a recently enacted Gorham ordinance, originally only restricted lifetime registrants.
A sex offender who is required to register for life has had either multiple offenses or a violent sex offense. A 10-year registrant has had a single, non-violent offense. Both would be prevented from going closer than 2,500 feet from a school, day care, park, bowling alley or any other place where children may gather.
The police department’s review found that 43 of the 44 registered sex offenders living in Westbrook had offenses involving minors. Two of the 44 appear to have re-offended.
The ordinance was also amended to include a $25 fee registered sex offenders must pay yearly to the city to mitigate the costs of policing the ordinance. The fee is based on another $25 fee the state imposes to help maintain the state registry of sex offenders.
The council is still working through a way to notify sex offenders of the areas that they are restricted from accessing. Prior to an amendment on Monday, a child care facility was required to be clearly marked in order for the ordinance to protect that property and neighborhood. Concerned that there were no signs at some family day-care providers who provide care from their homes, and that some signs may fall down, the council struck “clearly marked” from the ordinance.
It remains unclear how sex offenders would know where they are barred from going if they are not notified of the areas. Without proper notice, according to City Solicitor William Dale, there is little hope of imposing the $500-per-day fines for violating the ordinance. Councilor Drew Gattine said he would support a provision that ensured the public safety department kept an updated list of restricted areas and informed sex offenders of the areas when they checked in with the police.
The amendments to the ordinance on Monday were all intended to strengthen what could already be the strictest sex offender residency restriction in the state. Citizens at the meeting were happy with the unanimous support the ordinance was receiving.
Sex offenders “don’t deserve to live in this good city. They don’t deserve any rights,” Westbrook resident John Wescott said at Monday’s meeting. “Not on our watch.”
Gattine said on Tuesday that he would like to have a final vote to put the ordinance in place at the next council meeting, expected to be called for Monday, Sept. 17. Gattine suggested that some details can be ironed out later. Councilor Michael Foley has asked that the ordinance be kept before the Public Safety Committee indefinitely – as long as the bulk and purpose of the ordinance can be implemented soon.
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