TITLE
An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 2, entitled "County Government Operations," by the addition of a new Chapter 275, entitled "Residence Requirements; Registered Sex Offenders," in order to augment the provisions of Pennsylvania's Megan's Law and better provide for the safety of the County's residents.
BODY
WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania State Legislature adopted requirements for the registration of sexual offenders (“Megan's Law”); and the requirements are set forth at 42 Pa C.S.A. §9791, et. seq.; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly, in enacting Megan's Law, made the following six legislative findings, all of which have been supported by Council's own consideration of this bill:
(1) If the public is provided adequate notice and information about sexually violent predators and certain other offenders, the community can develop constructive plans to prepare themselves and their children for the offender's release. This allows communities to meet with law enforcement to prepare and obtain information about the rights and responsibilities of the community and to provide education and counseling to their children;
(2) These sexually violent predators pose a high risk of engaging in further offenses even after being released from incarceration or commitments and that protection of the public from this type of offender is a paramount governmental interest;
(3) The penal and mental health components of our justice system are largely hidden from public view and lack of information from either may result in failure of both systems to meet this paramount concern of public safety;
(4) Overly restrictive confidentiality and liability laws governing the release of information about sexually violent predators have reduced the willingness to release information that could be appropriately released under the public disclosure laws and have inc...
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