HF 2499

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; prohibiting predatory
offenders from attending meetings held to warn the
public of the offenders' presence in a community;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 244.052,
subdivision 4.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 244.052,
subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Law enforcement agency; disclosure of
information to public.

(a) The law enforcement agency in the
area where the predatory offender resides, expects to reside, is
employed, or is regularly found, shall disclose to the public
any information regarding the offender contained in the report
forwarded to the agency under subdivision 3, paragraph (f), that
is relevant and necessary to protect the public and to
counteract the offender's dangerousness, consistent with the
guidelines in paragraph (b). The extent of the information
disclosed and the community to whom disclosure is made must
relate to the level of danger posed by the offender, to the
offender's pattern of offending behavior, and to the need of
community members for information to enhance their individual
and collective safety.

(b) The law enforcement agency shall employ the following
guidelines in determining the scope of disclosure made under
this subdivision:

(1) if the offender is assigned to risk level I, the agency
may maintain information regarding the offender within the
agency and may disclose it to other law enforcement agencies.
Additionally, the agency may disclose the information to any
victims of or witnesses to the offense committed by the
offender. The agency shall disclose the information to victims
of the offense committed by the offender who have requested
disclosure and to adult members of the offender's immediate
household;

(2) if the offender is assigned to risk level II, the
agency also may disclose the information to agencies and groups
that the offender is likely to encounter for the purpose of
securing those institutions and protecting individuals in their
care while they are on or near the premises of the institution.
These agencies and groups include the staff members of public
and private educational institutions, day care establishments,
and establishments and organizations that primarily serve
individuals likely to be victimized by the offender. The agency
also may disclose the information to individuals the agency
believes are likely to be victimized by the offender. The
agency's belief shall be based on the offender's pattern of
offending or victim preference as documented in the information
provided by the department of corrections or human services;

(3) if the offender is assigned to risk level III, the
agency shall disclose the information to the persons and
entities described in clauses (1) and (2) and to other members
of the community whom the offender is likely to encounter,
unless the law enforcement agency determines that public safety
would be compromised by the disclosure or that a more limited
disclosure is necessary to protect the identity of the victim.

Notwithstanding the assignment of a predatory offender to
risk level II or III, a law enforcement agency may not make the
disclosures permitted or required by clause (2) or (3), if: the
offender is placed or resides in a residential facility.
However, if an offender is placed or resides in a residential
facility, the offender and the head of the facility shall
designate the offender's likely residence upon release from the
facility and the head of the facility shall notify the
commissioner of corrections or the commissioner of human
services of the offender's likely residence at least 14 days
before the offender's scheduled release date. The commissioner
shall give this information to the law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction over the offender's likely residence. The head of
the residential facility also shall notify the commissioner of
corrections or human services within 48 hours after finalizing
the offender's approved relocation plan to a permanent
residence. Within five days after receiving this notification,
the appropriate commissioner shall give to the appropriate law
enforcement agency all relevant information the commissioner has
concerning the offender, including information on the risk
factors in the offender's history and the risk level to which
the offender was assigned. After receiving this information,
the law enforcement agency shall make the disclosures permitted
or required by clause (2) or (3), as appropriate.

(c) As used in paragraph (b), clauses (2) and (3), "likely
to encounter" means that:

(1) the organizations or community members are in a
location or in close proximity to a location where the offender
lives or is employed, or which the offender visits or is likely
to visit on a regular basis, other than the location of the
offender's outpatient treatment program; and

(2) the types of interaction which ordinarily occur at that
location and other circumstances indicate that contact with the
offender is reasonably certain.

(d) A law enforcement agency or official who discloses
information under this subdivision shall make a good faith
effort to make the notification within 14 days of receipt of a
confirmed address from the Department of Corrections indicating
that the offender will be, or has been, released from
confinement, or accepted for supervision, or has moved to a new
address and will reside at the address indicated. If a change
occurs in the release plan, this notification provision does not
require an extension of the release date.

(e) A law enforcement agency or official who discloses
information under this subdivision shall not disclose the
identity or any identifying characteristics of the victims of or
witnesses to the offender's offenses.

(f) A law enforcement agency shall continue to disclose
information on an offender as required by this subdivision for
as long as the offender is required to register under section
243.166.

(g) A law enforcement agency that is disclosing information
on an offender assigned to risk level III to the public under
this subdivision shall inform the commissioner of corrections
what information is being disclosed and forward this information
to the commissioner within two days of the agency's
determination. The commissioner shall post this information on
the Internet as required in subdivision 4b.

(h) A city council may adopt a policy that addresses when
information disclosed under this subdivision must be presented
in languages in addition to English. The policy may address
when information must be presented orally, in writing, or both
in additional languages by the law enforcement agency disclosing
the information. The policy may provide for different
approaches based on the prevalence of non-English languages in
different neighborhoods.

new text begin (i) An offender who is the subject of a community
notification meeting held pursuant to this section may not
attend the meeting.
new text end