ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 25, 1996 TAG: 9608260126
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
President Clinton 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,'' Clinton said in his weekly radio address.
He 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.''
The new effort, which Clinton 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 Bob Dole's campaign promptly accused Clinton of stealing the idea from the GOP, which included a registry in its 1992 party platform.
The registry also is the product of 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 Megan's 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 Clinton, who noted that studies indicate sex offenders often repeat their crimes.
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 John Schmidt.
But Schmidt 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, he 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 percent of 1,362 sexual offenders arrested in 1973 were rearrested for a later sexual offense, the report 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 Clinton'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 6 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.
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