- TAMPA - Sheriff David Gee
has a message for the 1,200 registered sex offenders and predators living
in Hillsborough County.
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- If a hurricane blows through, don't plan on going to
one of the county-operated shelters for refuge. Make other arrangements.
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- "Most of those people, by the nature of their sentence,
can't be around children," Gee said. "And you're going to have
children at shelters. So I think the issue takes care of itself."
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- Gee plans to send letters to registered sex offenders
and predators, urging them to plan now for a safe place to stay in the
event of a hurricane.
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- County Commissioner Ronda Storms asked Gee this week
about the possibility of creating a separate shelter for sex offenders
and predators.
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- "She asked, would I entertain the idea of having
a special shelter for them, and I think my answer was no, they can take
care of themselves," Gee said Wednesday.
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- "As far as spending resources to have some school
or jail special for them, I think there are other people more needy of
our resources," he said.
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- In fact, the commission reinforced Gee's plan Wednesday,
unanimously directing its staff to create a policy prohibiting sex offenders
from entering shelters.
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- The Emergency Operations Center runs the shelters, and
the Sheriff's Office sends deputies to each one for security.
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- Gee said deputies won't check IDs of people entering
shelters, but if a sex offender is found to be in a shelter near children,
he could be arrested as a violation of the conditions of his release.
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- Storms' inquiry was the latest example of anxiety fueled
by the recent murders of two Tampa Bay area girls who authorities say were
killed by sex offenders.
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- In a separate item Wednesday, commissioners also voted
to explore posting photographs of the worst sex offenders, those considered
predators, in parks near where they live. County staff members will research
the idea and were asked to bring back a proposal in July.
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- Staff writer Bill Varian contributed to this report.
Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com
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- http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/16/Hi
llsborough/Hillsborough_shelters.shtml
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