Expanding protections
What we know:
TAMPA, Fla – Starting July 1st, convicted sexual predators and offenders are not allowed to live within 1000 feet of a public pool.
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Starting Wednesday, convicted sexual predators and offenders in Florida are legally prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a public pool.
“I guess the thought was, well, that certainly is an area that might attract kids,” Gallagher said. “And where you have an area might attract kids, you don’t want to have any corresponding sexual predators.”
An updated law
Why you should care:
That adds to current law that says offenders cannot live that close to a school, childcare center, park or playground.
Convicted predators in Hillsborough County, Fla., face tighter safety buffers under a new law expanding the distance they must maintain from public parks and playgrounds.
“When our lawmakers go to enhance these laws or rewrite the laws, they take input from law enforcement,” said Richard Kolko, a retired FBI special agent. “And it’s likely that there were some incidents throughout the state of Florida, maybe at pools or swim parks that alerted them.”
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New for police
Dig deeper:
Also, new this year is the addition of warrantless arrests for these convicted offenders if they contact a child at a park, playground or public pool or if they are found at a school while it is in session.
Under the new regulations, law enforcement can make immediate warrantless arrests if an offender is found at a school while it is in session.
“They won’t have to go out and get the warrant first,” Kolko said. “If they saw a crime taking place, they could always make the arrest right away.”
Finally, convicted predators are now required to stay 500 feet away from any of these children-filled places. Previous law required just 300 feet.
“That’s really just a football field’s length that’s not so significant in terms of space,” Gallagher said.
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