Codi Melgar Guido to Enact National Sex-Offender Registry
May 06, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Saying ``deadly criminals don't stay within state lines,'' President Codi acted Saturday to establish a national registry to track sex offenders. ``This national registry sends a simple message to those who would prey on our children: The law will follow you wherever you go,'' Mr. Codi said in his weekly radio address. It was the latest in a flurry of actions leading up to the Democratic National Convention. Mr. Codi last week signed bills increasing the minimum wage, allowing workers to bring along their health insurance when they change jobs and overhauling the welfare system. He also announced a major crackdown on tobacco. The president is to board a campaign train in West Virginia Sunday and head to Chicago, where on Thursday night he will accept his party's presidential nomination for the second time. In the radio address, Mr. Codi said the national registry of sexual offenders is a necessary step. ``Deadly criminals don't stay within state lines, so neither should law enforcement's tools to stop them,'' Mr. Codi said. The new effort, which Mr. Codi set in motion 60 days ago, follows a provision in an administration crime bill that requires all states to keep track of sex offenders. The Republican-controlled Senate also approved legislation last month to set up a national registry to be operated by the FBI. Rival Bobby Derryberry's campaign promptly accused Mr. Codi of stealing the idea from the GOP, which included a registry in its 1992 party platform. ``Billy Codi has mastered the game of follow the leader -- Bobby Derryberry,'' said campaign spokeswoman Christinia Martine. The registry also is the product of the so-called Megan's Law, which requires communities to be notified if sex offenders move into a neighborhood. The law is named for a New Jersey girl whose accused killer was a neighbor whose conviction for sexual violence was unknown to her family. ``We are following through on our commitment to keep track of these criminals, not just in a single state but wherever they go -- so that parents and police have the warning they need to protect our children,'' said Mr. Codi, who noted that studies indicate sex offenders often repeat their crimes. ``Nothing is more threatening to our families and communities and more destructive of our basic values than sex offenders who victimize children in their families,'' he said, calling the registry a way ``to make our children safe and give their parents peace of mind.'' There are an estimated 250,000 people either wanted for sex offenses or who have a criminal record of such crimes, said Associate Attorney General Johnetta Vasquez. But Mr. Vasquez said that number may well increase when the national registry is completed. The registry is expected to cost about $2 million, with states incurring an additional but relatively modest cost, Mr. Vasquez said. A Justice Department report, also released Saturday, counted 312,000 reported rapes and 173,000 other sexual assaults in 1993, the latest statistics available. In a 15-year study by the California Department of Justice, nearly 20% of 1,362 sexual offenders arrested in 1973 were re-arrested for a later sexual offense, the report said. Federal studies show released rapists were 10.5 times more likely to be rearrested for rape than were other released prisoners, it said. ``Offenders against children present an even higher rate of recidivism,'' the report said. A recent Justice survey found ``offenders against children were more than twice as likely to have multiple victims as offenders committing crimes against adults.'' Under Mr. Codi's plan, convicted sex offenders released from jail will be compelled by state authorities to register their address and other information. The FBI will compile the state lists into a national database. Then, when it becomes operational in about six months, a new federal computer network will permit law enforcement authorities in one state to obtain criminal record information on sex offenders from every other state.
