Lewisville City Council approves residency restrictions for registered sex offenders

by PegNews wire

LEWISVILLE — The Lewisville City Council on Monday approved an ordinance that prohibits some registered sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of schools, daycare, playgrounds and other public places where children routinely gather. The measure bans registered sex offenders whose victims were minors at the time of the offense from living in about 90 percent of the residential property in Lewisville. It will not apply retroactively to registered offenders already living in Lewisville.

The council approved the measure by a 4-1 vote. It will take effect on Feb. 9, after required newspaper notices are published.

The state currently prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 10,000 feet of children’s gathering places while the offenders are on parole or probation, but that state requirement goes away when the probation or parole period ends. The city’s restriction takes effect at the end of the probation or parole period and extends throughout the state-mandated registration for offenders whose victim was under 17 years old. At least 36 other North Texas cities have local restrictions, ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The Texas Attorney General’s office issued an opinion in March 2007 stating that local cities are authorized to set their own residency restrictions for registered sex offenders.

There are currently 73 registered sex offenders among the city’s 92,000 residents, roughly the same number as were registered a year ago. Of those, 56 committed violations against minors. Four of the five cities bordering Lewisville already have local restrictions in place – Carrollton, Coppell, Flower Mound and The Colony.

The city council also unanimously approved a resolution urging the Texas Legislature to enact a uniform law to extend residence restrictions statewide for registered sex offenders whose victim was a minor at the time of the offense.

Source: City of Lewisville