Brooklyn Park moves to restrict where sex offenders can live
Brooklyn Park weighs new sex offender restrictions
Brooklyn Park says it's seeing more sex offenders moving into its city. The city council is now working on a proposal to restrict where sex offenders can live.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - As leaders say they are seeing a "growing number" of sex offenders living in the city, the Brooklyn Park City Council is working to put in place restrictions on where certain offenders can live.
Brooklyn Park sex offenders
What we know:
At a work session on Monday, the Brooklyn Park City Council discussed creating an ordinance that would restrict where Level 3 sex offenders can live. Level 3 offenders are deemed as posing the highest risk of re-offending.
In council documents, officials say Brooklyn Park has a "disproportionate number of Level 3 sex offenders in our city." State records show 19 offenders registered as living in Brooklyn Park.
Brooklyn Park sex offender locations questioned
Currently in Minnesota there are no limits on where sex offenders can live once they have served their sentences, leaving some officials in Brooklyn Park to question the lack of legal standard. FOX 9’s Mary McGuire has the details.
By the numbers:
Brooklyn Park's 19 registered Level 3 offenders is the most of any city outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. Bloomington, which has a higher population than Brooklyn Park, has one publicly registered offender.
The next largest counts after Brooklyn Park are in Rochester (16) and Duluth (15). Most other large metro cities hevea fewer than three and most have zero registered in their cities.
Many cities don't have restrictions on sex offenders
The backstory:
State law does allow a review committee to set residency restrictions for Level 3 sex offenders on a case-by-case basis based on the crime they committed.
Eighteen cities in Hennepin County have restrictions on where sex offenders can live. Brooklyn Park is among the 27 currently without an ordinance.
Many cities and states have restrictions in place keeping sex offenders from living too close to places like schools, playgrounds or daycares.
What they're saying:
Brooklyn Park Inspector Matt Rabe told FOX 9 on All Day that he grew concerned after seeing so many community notifications related to sex offenders moving into the city.
"It seemed like a high number," said Inspector Rabe. "Then I received a phone call from someone trying to place a Level 3 sex offender."
The caller said the sex offender was getting kicked out of Brooklyn Center because of a residency ordinance. They were checking to see if Brooklyn Park had an ordinance, which they didn't. That led Rabe to look more into the issue.
What's next:
Monday's meeting was step one in crafting an ordinance. It's unclear when the full proposal will be ready.
The Source: This story used Brooklyn Park council documents, reporting by FOX 9's Mary McGuire, and information from the city from FOX 9's All Day program.