Sex offender signs placed in town

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Houlton residents will see new signs posted in several areas around the Shiretown.
    The signs to be positioned in Community Park, the Gentle Memorial Building and at the local schools. Signs are 18-inch by 18-inch fiberglass units declaring these areas to be “Sex Offender Restricted Zones.”
    “I have been in contact with school officials, the recreation program director and civic center director,” explained Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin. “ Everyone has been very cooperative.”
Contributed photo
NEW SIGNS — The Houlton Police Department is placing these signs at various spots throughout the Shiretown.
    The signs can be secured to buildings, fencing, posts or poles. Where the signs are ultimately placed, according to Asselin,  will be determined by those officials in charge of their particular building or parks area.
    “However, they will be clearly visible to the public,” he added.
    “Unlike some municipalities in the state of Maine that have made certain areas of town or cities off limits for sex offenders to live in, or even be in, all we’re doing is putting up signs enforcing a law that is already on the books,” said Paul Cleary, town council chairman. “I think this is a good thing and hopefully it will stop a situation from ever happening.”
    The Houlton Police Department ordered 10 signs, but according to Asselin, at the present time, signs are not being provided to day care providers.
    “I have been in contact with one local day care operator who expressed concern on the perception of having a sign visible,” he said. “She already provides a safe environment for the children she cares for and didn’t want to unnecessarily alarm the parents who drop their children off.”
    The Houlton Police Department is following state guidelines on the wording of the signs, which read: Notice — Sex Offender Restricted Zone — Per M.R.S.A. Title 17-A, Section 261 — Houlton Police Department.
    The law is already enforced and has been since 2009 when it was enacted by the legislature.
Having the signs posted only increases the penalty,” Asselin said.
    “The signs are not being placed at these locations to deal with any specific problem involving convicted sex offenders hanging around schools or playgrounds,” explained Asselin. “Rather, they are being positioned at these localities to take advantage of a provision in the law that elevates the penalty from a Class E to a Class D crime when a sign is present and a violation occurs. Instead of facing a potential six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, the violator may now be subject to a maximum of no less than 12 months of incarceration and a $2,000 fine.”
    “Nobody is violating anybody’s rights,” said Cleary. “They still have the same rights, [except] if a sex offender has contact in these zones and isn’t suppose to have contact, the  punishment could be worse. This is a way to hopefully deter sex offenders from contacting a kid at a school on the playground [or wherever the signs are posted]. It is not a safety net and parents, kids, teachers and community members still need to be aware of what is going on. [The signs] can be used against the sex offender, which hopefully would get them to think about what they’re doing.”
    For information about the sex offenders residing or working in the community, check the sex offender registry by going to http://www.maine.gov/dps/Sbi/sor.html. Detective Kris Calaman is responsible for tracking and making sex offender notifications within the community.
    “Don’t think that because your children are playing or participating in sports activities in a sex offender restricted zone, that you need to be less diligent about watching them,” cautioned Asselin. “Observe, question, stay informed and involved in your children’s activities.”
     Report any suspicious activity to the police department at 532-2287, school authorities or park directors.
    “I don’t believe there will be any stepped up patrol in these areas,” said Cleary. “But, the only people who know who the sex offenders are, basically are the police or the parent that takes the time to look on the sex offender website.”