The Sugar Land Police Department is making a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening the city’s sexual offender residency regulations.
Asst. Police Douglas Brinkley outlined the department’s recommendations to city council in a workshop session during Tuesday’s council meeting. He said the changes were developed to both strengthen the city’s current ordinance while ensuring it remains consistent with state law.
“These proposed changes will provide greater protection to the children of our community from sexual offenders,” Brinkley told the council.
The current city ordinance makes it unlawful for sexual offenders to reside within 2,500 feet of places where children gather, and prohibits property owners from renting to certain sexual offenders who would be in violation of those distance requirements. Since the inception of the ordinance, Brinkley pointed out, several issues have been identified that require modification to allow police to more effectively enforce the regulations.
Changes recommended included:
• Make the definition of “residency” consistent with the state statute, which says residency is when someone lives at a location for “seven or more calendar days in a year.”
• Re-define a “private recreation facility” to include such places as recreation facilities owned by a residential property owners association, privately-owned ice-skating rinks or facilities similar to a “Baseball America” operation.
• Prohibit offenders from entering a public park.
• If a current resident is convicted as a sex offender and confined to a correctional facility for more than seven days, they no longer have an established residence in Sugar Land.
In addition, the proposed amendments include a change for sexual offenders under the age of 18. Currently, offenders under the age of 18 are allowed to reside within 2,500 feet of a child area. The amendment would require a sexual offender under the age of 18 to live with a parent or guardian if within 2,500 feet of a child area.
Council members generally agreed with the recommendations, but both Mayor Pro Tem Michael Schiff and Councilman Russell Jones urged the city’s legal staff to carefully review the proposed changes to make certain there were no potential legal challenges.
“I think we’re close to constitutional issues on some of this stuff,” Jones said. “I do think there are some serious questions.”
In addition to a close review by the city’s legal staff, the recommended changes will also be provided to council members prior to their taking any formal action on the recommendations.
