Sex Offender Ordinance for City of Bellaire, TX

WHEREAS, the Citizens and Friends of the City of Bellaire are deeply and profoundly concerned about the unfortunate numerous occurrences within the State of Texas and the United States when convicted sexual offenders have been released from custody an then repeat the unlawful acts for which they had originally been convicted; and

WHEREAS, the Citizens and Friends of the City of Bellaire find from the available evidence that the recidivism rate for released sexual offenders is alarmingly high, especially for those who commit crimes upon children; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), studied the recidivism of sex offenders released since 1994 and found, among other troubling findings that:

(1) On average, the 9,694 sex offenders studied served less than half of their 8-year sentence.

(2) Compared to non-sex offenders released from a state prison, released
sex offenders were four (4) times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime.

(3) The 9,691 released sex offenders studied included 4,295 men who were imprisoned
for child molestation; and

WHEREAS, other BJS surveys have shown that 70\% of all men in prison for a sex crime were men who victimized a child; and

WHEREAS, experts in the area of criminology have stated that all sexual assaults should be considered violent behavior; and

NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE CITIZENS AND FRIENDS OF THE CITY OF BELLAIRE HEREBY PETITION THE MAYOR OF BELLAIRE AND CITY COUNCIL TO ENGAGE IN SWIFT AND IMMEDIATE ACTION TOWARD ADOPTING AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT RESIDENCES OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS WITHIN 2,500 FEET (MEASURED BY FOLLOWING A STRAIGHT LINE) OF ANY PLACE, STRUCTURE, OR PART THEREOF WHERE CHILDREN ARE KNOWN TO GATHER. SUCH PLACE, STRUCTURE, OR PART THEREOF SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO ANY SCHOOL, BUS STOP, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PARK, PLAYGROUND, OR OTHER RECREATIONAL ATTRACTION, CHURCH OR OTHER HOUSE OF WORSHIP, PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND STATE LICENSED DAY CARE FACILITY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THESE PLACES LIE WITHIN THE BELLAIRE CITY LIMITS.

IT IS THE DESIRE OF THE CITIZENS AND FRIENDS OF THE CITY OF BELLAIRE THAT THIS ORDINANCE PROHIBITING TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT RESIDENCES OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS CAREFULLY ADHERE TO ALL LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THAT SAID ORDINANCE BE PURSUED, ENFORCED AND REMEDIED BY ALL MEANS AVAILABLE TO THE CITY UNDER CONTROLLING STATE LAW.