Perverts near schools

Registered sex offenders are living a lot closer to schools than some lawmakers would like, according to a recent study conducted by Congressmembers Anthony Weiner and Edolphus Towns. The study found that 85 percent of registered Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders - “moderate and high-risk” offenders respectively - were living within five blocks of public schools.
In Queens, 173 of an estimated 428 sex offenders are living within two blocks of schools, the study found.
“Keeping our kids safe is an on-going effort that demands greater vigilance especially near schools,” Weiner said. “We need to do more to track offenders, to enforce existing laws and to arm parents with tools to protect their children from sex offenders.”
Because of the survey, Weiner and Towns have introduced legislation to better track sex offenders. The six-point plan includes proposals to force offenders to register their MySpace and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) accounts with the State registry, to expand the search criteria for parents to look up sex offender locations online, and to monitor sex offenders who choose to live within two blocks of City schools with GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) trackers.
In February 2006, The Queens Courier reported that 183 registered Level 3 sex offenders were living in Queens, and in July 2006, Governor George Pataki signed into law a bill that added Level 2 sex offenders to the online State Registry. Still, parents groups, including Parents for Megan’s Law, have called on legislators to add Level 1 sex offenders to this list.