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Brooklyn Park Police Trace Sex Offender Influx To Group Homes
Police in Brooklyn Park say they’re concerned about an influx of high-risk sex offenders moving into the city and its group homes.
Level 3 sex offenders are deemed to have the highest risk of reoffending.
“It really became a concern for us when I realized, not only did we have a high number [of Level 3 sex offenders,] but we were seeing people being kicked out of neighboring cities and then coming here because we didn’t have an ordinance,” said Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Matt Rabe.
In the past year, seven of the sex offenders have moved into Brooklyn Park. That brings the total to 19 Level 3 offenders living within Brooklyn Park’s city limits.
That’s more than nearby cities. Minnesota Department of Corrections records show two offenders living in Brooklyn Center, eight in Golden Valley and three in Maple Grove.
“We’re bearing the brunt or the burden of this much more than cities that are close to us in size,” Rabe said.
Brooklyn Park also has a high concentration of group homes or congregate care facilities.
About half of the Level 3 offenders in Brooklyn Park live in a group home.
New Regulations
Cities have some power to regulate where Level 3 offenders can live.
That is, they have the power to restrict offenders from living within a specified distance from areas that children congregate, Rabe said.
Brooklyn Park does not have any of those restrictions written into city ordinances.
Moreover, cities the size of Brooklyn Park have little power to regulate group homes.
“We realized we’re adding 50 group homes a year,” Rabe said. “We have a huge number already. 450, 460. If we project that out into the future, what does it look like for Level 3 sex offenders five years from now if we’re adding that many group homes and they seem to be that well connected? So it’s a huge concern for us.”
The large number of group homes is a drain on the law enforcement resources, Rabe said.
“It’s a huge resource draw,” Rabe said. “One-in-ten of our 911 calls are to a group home. That’s huge.”
As a result, police are asking the city council to consider enacting new regulations related to Level 3 offenders.
Rabe expects to bring back a proposal to the council in about a month.
SOURCE: CCX MEDIA
