Lynn parents praise new sex-offender protections

LYNN – Ingalls School parents Wednesday said their children are better protected with new sex offender residency requirements on the city’s books.The City Council Tuesday approved the ordinances with the intent of limiting where offenders classified by the state as highly likely to re-offend can live.The ordinances make it illegal for Level III offenders to live within 1,500 feet of any school, park or playground. Another ordinance requires offenders living within that zone to move within 30 days after the law takes effect in early July.A third ordinance bans the operation of sex offender halfway houses from operating in the city.Karen Lebel thinks it’s time the city restricted where sex offenders live.”There are so many out there,” the mother of an Ingalls and a Sisson School student said.The state Sex Offender Registry in mid-May listed 55 Level III offenders living or working in Lynn. These individuals have been convicted of sex crimes, in some cases against minors, and are classified by the board as high risk.The council pushed for stricter controls on offenders in May after LifePoint Church on Baltimore Street sent a letter to the Police Department asking for information on any local laws, ordinances and restrictions limiting the opening of a halfway house for Level III offenders.A LifePoint representative spoke at Tuesday night’s council meeting, saying the church has no plans to open or operate a treatment facility for convicted sex offenders.