Council vote changes Lynn sex offender law

LYNN – The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to amend an ordinance enacted last year that restricts where convicted sex offenders can live in Lynn.The change was prompted by inconsistencies in the previous law that proved unenforceable and perhaps unconstitutional.Despite a general consensus among the councilors that Lynn needs such a law, attorney Rebecca Whitehill spoke against it during the public hearing preceding the vote.According to Whitehill, no evidence exists that sexual predators are more likely to target children rather than adults. The attorney said U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate that 93 percent of sex crimes against children are committed by relatives or acquaintances.Whitehill also argued that laws regulating where sex offenders can live conflicts with the goals of the state’s Sex Offender Registry, which requires convicted sex offenders to register with police when moving to a new community. Further, enforcing a sex offender residency law promotes homelessness, she said.City Council President Timothy Phelan said the law, even if it saves a single child from becoming the victim of a sexual predator, is worth enacting.City attorney James Lamanna of the Law Department said the revised ordinance pertains to both Level II and III sex offenders, the latter described as the most likely repeat offenders.Under the new ordinance, convicted sex offenders already living in Lynn are allowed to remain in their homes, even if the residence is within 1,000 feet of a school, parks and playground. The earlier version of the ordinance set the distance at 2,000 feet, but it was not consistent with state drugs laws that increase punishment for drugs sold near schools.The original law also included daycare centers along with parks, playgrounds and schools, but a map overlay showed the sex offenders would literally have no legal place to reside.Although the amended ordinance grandfathers sex offenders currently living in Lynn, it immediately applies to those who change residences within the city, and to new residents.The Law Department will be responsible for notifying all Level II and III sex offenders about the ordinance, Lamanna said.