Sex and The Town Meeting

Maybe the title of this post could be used by PR Studio should it decide to produce a Plymouth-based TV series similar to "Sex and the City". In the meantime, the title may have caught the attention of a few readers who might otherwise have passed on a posting about the upcoming Plymouth Town Meeting. Sorry folks, this isn't quite as exciting as you might have thought.

In a perfect world, or even a perfect town, we wouldn't have to worry about sexual predators, but in case you haven't noticed, we haven't quite achieved perfection. Currently ten registered Level 3 sex offenders reside in America's Home Town. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Level 3's are the worst of the worst, with a proclivity to re-offend. Not the kind of guys you want lurking about, especially near our schools.

The Plymouth Board of Selectmen, taking a page from several other Massachusetts Towns, have proposed a new By-law which is scheduled to come before the Annual Town Meeting, which starts October 26th. This proposal would prohibit registered Level 3 Sex Offenders from living within 2,500 feet, or half a mile, of a school, Day Care Center, Elderly Housing Complex or Park or Recreation facility located in the Town of Plymouth.

When, in due course, the proposal came before the Advisory and Finance Committee, testimony was received from, among others, Police Chief Michael Boteri and Retired Director of Operations of the Mass. Sex Offender registry, Robert Baker, where it was learned that the law might entail some unintended consequences and weak spots. For example, forcing Offenders out of housing might cause some of them to become homeless and therefore, harder for the police to monitor. Moreover, concern for where the offenders spend their days, might be more important than where they live. There was also some question as to whether the 2,500 foot restriction might be too wide an area and the suggestion that 1,500 feet might be more appropriate, especially given the fact that after all the 2,500 foot circles are drawn around the restricted facilities, precious little of the Town is left open. In the opinion of some, this result might be a good one as Offenders would find it extremely difficult to move into Town. What's more, if other Towns pass similar laws, any town without such a law might become a dumping ground. At the end of the day (or night, as it were) the Committee voted not to recommend the proposed by-law.

Subsequently, with the addition of non-loitering language, the Board of Selectmen voted to continue their support of the law. Other tweaks, such as the changing of the 2,500 foot radius to 1,500 feet, will have to come from the floor of the Town Meeting, where the final language of the by-law will be determined. And while the tenor of the debate might not be as spicy as the title suggests, it may just attract a few more viewers.