Scott County’s Board of Supervisors has become the latest group to go on record as opposing the state law which says paroled sex offenders must live at least 2,000 feet from a school or day care. Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard says the state’s sheriffs and county attorneys believe the law should be repealed.
"Basically, now a sex offender can’t live within 2,000 feet of a school, but there’s nothing that says they can’t be at that school," Conard says. Conard and others, like Scott County Administrator Ray Wierson, are now arguing it’s time for legislators to establish "safe zones" where sex offenders are not allowed to enter.
Wierson says just because sex offenders can’t live near a school, there’s nothing today that says it’s illegal for them to be on the school grounds. Wierson says the current law isn’t working — as figures show the number of sex offenders who’ve failed to register their address with authorities has doubled since the law went into effect.
"So we don’t know where they’re at," Wierson says. "Or because of the restrictions, they’re all living in one area." Earlier this month, Boards of Supervisors in Shelby and Johnson Counties adopted similar resolutions opposing the current sex offender residency restriction. Scott County’s Board of Supervisors voted on the issue at its meeting Thursday.