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Not Near My School Yard

Steve Goode

March 23, 2010

Hartford state Rep. Kelvin Roldan is proposing legislation that would prohibit any future registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school, which amounts to a 4,000 foot radius from the property lines of more than 40 city schools. The law would also prohibit them from living within that distance of a day care. The law would essentially render Hartford off limits to sex offenders unless they wanted to live in the North or South meadows or Bushnell Park.

Roldan and other proponents, including Hartford police, say its all about keeping kids safe. Roldan also says its unfair to have the state dump more than 10 percent of the Connecticut's 5,000 registered sex offenders in Hartford.

But opponents, including Public Safety Commissioner John Danaher, say the measure would send offenders underground making it harder to keep track of them, which isn't a good thing. They also say many registered sex offenders live in cities because they can get treatment and supprort, find work and access transportation that isn't as readily available.

Public safety or overkill? what do you think?