June 6, 2003
ROMNEY FILES BILL TO POST SEX OFFENDER INFORMATION ON WEB
New tool will assist families in finding out where dangerous sex offenders live, work
Governor Mitt Romney was joined today by Andrea Casanova, the mother of Alexandra Zapp, who was murdered by a convicted sex offender, in filing legislation to allow the posting of photographs and information of the state’s most dangerous sex offenders on the Internet.
Romney noted that 35 other states and several of the Bay State’s local police departments already post sex offenders images on their Web sites.
“Families in Massachusetts have the right to know where sex offenders live and work so they can protect their children,” said Romney. “Posting the information on the Internet will allow people to easily access the most up-to-date information in their own homes.”
Zapp, 30, was tragically murdered last July at a highway rest stop in Bridgewater. Her alleged killer, Paul Leahy, was a convicted sex offender. Since her daughter’s death, Casanova has been a crusader for victims’ rights and for enacting tough legislation that will protect innocent victims from dangerous sexual predators.
“Ally never saw obstacles in her life,” said Casanova. “She only saw objectives. Her philosophy has helped me see that there is much work to be done. I have devoted myself to fighting for legal and cultural reform and will do whatever it takes to help protect the public from violent sexual predators. It is clear that this administration with the filing of this legislation today is not deterred by obstacles either.”
Today’s filing follows a Superior Court order last week that prevented the state Sex Offender Registry from posting Level 3 offenders deemed a high risk on the agency’s Web site. The court ruled that the current Sex Offender Registry law fails to clearly permit Web listings of individual offenders’ sex crime information as well as photos and descriptions of the convicted offenders.
“We can’t wait for this issue to work its way through the courts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey. “The Governor and I urge the Legislature to act quickly on this commonsense legislation so that the Internet can be used as a tool to protect our children and others from sexual predators.”
Romney announced in April that the Sex Offender Registry Board would begin posting Level 3 sex offenders on the agency’s Web site www.mass.gov/sorb on May 15th. The public would have been able to see the offender’s photo, name, home and work address, the charges the sex offender has been convicted of and a physical description. There are currently 426 classified Level 3 sex offenders in the Sex Offender Registry’s database. Only detailed information on Level 3 high-risk sex offenders will be on the Web site to comply with state law.
Romney’s bill has support in the Legislature.
“Despite all of the challenges in the Legislature these past few months, this change to the Sex Offender Registry is critical to the long term safety of children across the Commonwealth,” said Bradley H. Jones Jr., the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. “This legislation makes it easier for parents to know who lives around the corner or across the street. I commend Governor Romney for his continued leadership and ongoing commitment to public safety.”
“I am pleased to join with Governor Romney and Lieutenant Governor Healey to ensure that all the citizens of the Commonwealth have access to information about our most dangerous sex offenders,” said Representative James Vallee, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
“The Internet is used extensively by these reprehensible criminals,” said Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr., Chairman of the Public Safety Committee. “They trade in child pornography over the Internet. They assume false identities in chat rooms and lure victims to meeting places. It is about time we use this technology against them to combat their insidious reach into our homes and communities.”
“The primary focus of the registry should be enabling people to be invested with the knowledge to protect themselves” said Senator Bruce Tarr. “Providing greater accessibility to information is consistent with the spirit of the law and serves that primary purpose.”
In addition to Level 3 information, families may use the Web site to determine how many moderate risk (Level 2) sex offenders have been classified and live or work in their towns. Information on those offenders is available by visiting the local police department in those communities and filling out an application. No information on low risk (Level 1) sex offenders is available to the public because of legal restrictions.
Romney and Healey also urged the passage of legislation they filed in April to enhance and strengthen the Sex Offender Registry Board. The key components of the plan include:
Mandates the registration of any sex offender who either attends or works at any school in the Commonwealth, regardless of where they live. Currently, only sex offenders who live and work in Massachusetts are required to register.
Requires state prosecutors to notify the Sex Offender Registry Board of all cases in which they are trying to have an offender committed as a sexually dangerous person. This will allow the Board to expedite the consideration of that person’s file and get their information online sooner.
Sex offenders who fail to register may have their driver’s license revoked or suspended until they comply with the registration requirements.
Requires registration of incarcerated sex offenders no later than two days before release. This provision will allow the Sex Offender Registry Board to register approximately 3,000 incarcerated sex offenders, decreasing the number of offenders that violate the law by failing to register upon release from jail.
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