Parent wants to limit where sex offenders live, work

In Stoughton, there are 36 Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders who live or work in town, according to the state Sex Offender Registry Board . Currently, although their addresses are made public, they are free to live and work where they please. But Town Meeting representative Ed Coppinger , who has two young daughters, wants that to change.

Coppinger plans to propose a measure at Town Meeting in October that would ban high-risk child sex offenders from living or working within 2,500 feet of any school, day-care, or public facility used primarily by children.

``I've seen a number of articles and a number of news accounts about how sex offenders are living in close proximity to schools and day-care centers and, as a father of 3- and 5-year-old daughters, it concerned me," said Coppinger, who has lived in Stoughton for eight years. ``I just saw my two kids and thought: What can I do to make them safer?"

The proposed residency and employment boundaries reflect a nationwide crackdown on convicted sex offenders who are considered to be at high-risk of recommitting a sex crime. Such measures have raised concerns among civil libertarians who view the restrictions as excessive and constitutionally suspect because they make large areas off limits.

At least 17 other states have approved residential restrictions, and in Massachusetts, Marlborough, Taunton, Revere, and Fitchburg have enacted or are considering similar limitations. The restrictions vary from 1,000 to 2,500 feet and some ban offenders from school bus stops.

Under the Stoughton plan, sex offenders would be banned from entering any public or private school, licensed day-care center, or child-care facility unless authorized by school administrators or the day-care center owner.

The bylaw would carry a minimum fine of $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

``I'm hoping it sends a message to sex offenders that we're concerned and we don't want them living near the schools," Coppinger said.

Massachusetts offenders must now register their home and work addresses with the state registry, as well as the address of any educational institution they attend. The registry publishes home and work addresses of Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders, but places no restrictions on where they live and work.

John Reinstein, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said residency restrictions ``give the illusion of safety without anything more than that." The ACLU argues that such restrictions wrongly assume that most sex crimes are committed by strangers, when most are committed by family members or acquaintances, and they drive sex offenders underground and make them less likely to register or indicate their correct address.

But Coppinger said that if enough communities approve restrictions, state lawmakers will be forced to follow suit. State Senator Scott P. Brown , a staunch supporter of work and residency restrictions, said they have consistently failed to gain legislative approval.

``There is a very strong defense bar who are advocates for the perpetrators and the voices for the children are not as strong as the highly paid lobbyists," said Brown, a Wrentham Republican. ``Then, we will read about some other kid getting abused and some representative will file some legislation to get a headline and nothing will happen."

Fitchburg City Councilor Dean Tran , the father of two young daughters, successfully lobbied for a proposal restricting sex offenders in an effort to protect children from potential predators.

``We know there is no cure for sex offenders. There is a high percentage for them who reoffend. One way to help prevent that is to restrict where they are," he said.

In June, the Fitchburg city council barred Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders from moving within 1,000 feet of any playground, park, school, or day-care center.

The state Sex Offender Registry Board classifies a Level 2 sex offender as a moderate risk to re offend, with Level 3 offenders ranked as the highest risk to offend again. The classifications are based on a set of more than 20 factors, the offenders' relationship to the victim, whether the behavior was repetitive or compulsive, and the age of the offender at the time.

Sandy Coleman can be reached at sbcoleman@globe.com.