Beaumont — Beaumont leaders are weighing new “child safety zones” that would restrict where registered sex offenders can live or loiter near places where children gather, including schools, parks and churches.
Mayor Roy West said he is working with the city attorney to determine what city ordinances could be put in place to increase protections for children. The proposed approach centers on sex offender residency restriction ordinances, commonly known as SORROs, which are designed to limit where registered sex offenders can live or loiter.
Such ordinances typically prohibit offenders from being within 1,000 feet of child safety zones such as schools and playgrounds.
Beaumont is one of the few cities in Southeast Texas that has not yet adopted a local ordinance. Without local regulations, the city relies on Texas state laws, which only enforce residency and loitering restrictions on registered sex offenders who are actively on parole or probation.
West said the city plans to address concerns raised by residents and is reviewing what has worked elsewhere.
“It was brought to our attention that we could have a more restrictive child safety zone for our sexual offenders that live in Beaumont and honestly I was unaware of it,” West said. “And so now our city attorney’s office and police department as well have been reviewing ordinances from across the state to see which would be most beneficial for Beaumont.”
City Council will hold a workshop tomorrow to discuss what changes could be made.
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