Tougher Law Sought For Sex Offenders Crowd Tells Panel Of Legislators New Measure May Not Go Far Enough

Darlene Rush wants to know the name of the convicted sex offender who tried to follow her 6-year-old daughter home from school in December.

She wants to know where he lives, what he was convicted of.

And she wants assurances that he’ll not be allowed anywhere near Borah Elementary again.

“I am a victim; my child was followed by this individual,” Rush told a panel of six state legislators.

The legislators met with more than 70 parents, school administrators and community members Saturday morning in Coeur d’Alene to discuss a bill that would strengthen Idaho’s sex offender law.

In Rush’s case, an alert parent spotted the suspicious-looking man - whose name police cannot legally disclose - around Borah Elementary.

School officials sent a letter to parents warning about the man but - because of restrictions under the current law - it was short on details.

“No child can be educated if they don’t feel safe,” said David Rawls, superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene School District. “The state of Idaho would be well-served to pass this legislation.”

The problem with the existing law is that information on Idaho’s convicted sex offenders - 140 of whom live in Kootenai County - is not readily available, said Deputy Prosecutor Jim Daugherty.

People who want information about a sex offender must know that person’s full name, date of birth and Social Security number.

The proposed law - which has cleared the Senate and is expected to pass the House - would require knowing only a suspected sex offender’s name and address, or name and birthdate. For the first time, residents could also request information about sex offenders living in their neighborhoods.

The Idaho Department of Law Enforcement would notify local police of offenders living within their jurisdictions.

Offenders classified as nonviolent could ask a District Court judge to remove their registration requirement 10 years after their prison release, under certain conditions. Violent sex offenders would have to register with authorities for life. Under the current law, all sex offenders must register for life.

If the state fails to pass the bill and therefore fails to comply with federal mandates on sex offender registration, it could lose $300,000 in federal grant money, Daugherty said.

Parents, school administrators and child advocates who attended Saturday’s meeting questioned whether the bill adequately ensures they will find out about local offenders.

“We are pleased that you are going in the direction you’re going,” said Dick Harris, superintendent of the Post Falls School District. “Possibly it doesn’t go quite far enough.”

The bill requires the Department of Law Enforcement to provide information on sex offenders every three months to the state superintendent of schools and Health and Welfare.

“I think it ought to be automatic - immediately,” Harris said.

Others proposed having the list regularly updated and posted on the Internet. Some wanted sex offenders prohibited from being near schools.

“The states have gun-free zones (around schools). They have drug-free zones. Let’s have child molester-free zones,” said David Gibbs, who serves on the board of directors for Children’s Village in Coeur d’Alene, which helps children in turmoil.

Buell Hollister wants more money spent on preventing people from becoming sex offenders.

“I think once again the state is dealing reactively to a problem rather than proactively,” the Post Falls resident told the panel.

Programs like Idaho Child Abuse Response and Education, which teaches parents how to raise children without abuse, need state help, Hollister said.

“Why isn’t the state helping out with preventive programs like this?”

Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Hayden, said other legislation he’s pushing would help prevent people from becoming sex offenders by helping sex crime victims. About one-third of sex offenders were themselves victims of abuse, he said.

While the American Civil Liberties Union says registering sex offenders violates their civil rights, people who spoke out Saturday overwhelmingly support efforts to track them.

“If you’ve been one, you still are one,” said Rep. Hilde Kellogg, R-Post Falls. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re branded for life and you should be.”

The crowd applauded.

, DataTimes