The Longmont City Council heard a presentation at its March 4 meeting regarding a potential city ordinance to set distance requirements to prevent registered sex offenders from living within certain distances of schools, daycare centers, and parks. City Manager Harold Dominguez, Assistant City Attorney Jeremy Tyrrell, and Public Safety Chief Zach Ardis gave an hour-long presentation to the council regarding current and potential regulations.
30 states have residency restrictions on registered sex offenders to prevent them from residing within a certain distance of schools and other locations. 35 jurisdictions in Colorado have local ordinances with various restrictions. During the presentation, some local ordinances were presented that enact restrictions for sex offenders. Northglenn restricts sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or within 500 feet of a park, playground, or school bus stop. Greeley only restricts sex offenders from living within 300 feet of a school, park, or public pool, but only if the sexual assault victim was a child under 18.
The council members inquired about unintended consequences of enacting regulations. Councilman Matthew Popkin said he was concerned about creating certain pockets within the city where the sex offenders would have to live.
Councilwoman Shiquita Yarbrough said she likes the Greeley ordinance the best, but doesn’t like that they have to create an ordinance. “When people serve their time, they serve their time,” Yarbrough said. “We hope the best for people, not to say they are their best selves. That’s why we have to put this order together to protect our kids. We hope the best for people and give them the benefit of the doubt. When people come out, hopefully they have had treatment and everything.”
Five sex offenders are living in a house approximately a quarter mile away from Alpine Elementary School and even closer to Rough and Ready Park. Longmont residents brought up their concerns at the city council meeting last week. The offenders live in a house on Winding Drive and are listed on the sex offender registry.
Four of the five men were convicted of felony sexual offenses in 2024. Three of the men have committed sexual crimes against children, including one who was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and publishing the content. One attempted incest and another was charged with attempted sexual assault. The oldest conviction dates back to 1989 and the man was charged with “LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS W/CHILD UNDER 14.”
According to the presentation, there are 286 sex offenders in the city of Longmont and 202 of them are required to be registered in the online database. Only 181 have a fixed residence, as some of the offenders are homeless.
Dominguez, Ardis, and Tyrrell are going to gather more specific information for a future meeting before a vote takes place in the city council. They said they would come back with overlaid maps that show the location of parks, schools, daycares, and bus stops within the city. Councilman Popkin indicated that the regulation may be difficult to enact if a regulation is placed upon a sex offender’s residential proximity to a park, because there are a lot of parks in Longmont.
Popkin clarified with the presenters that there isn’t specific data showing that certain distances are more effective, and the numbers are arbitrary. It was also stated during the presentation that there is no evidence that these restrictions lower the case of recidivism. Popkin added that a regulation preventing sex offenders from living within a certain distance of the park does not prevent the individual from going to the park.
