About 98% of Fort Worth’s residential areas will be off-limits for registered sex offenders whose victims were younger than 17 after City Council members restricted where they can live.
Such registered sex offenders can’t live within 2,000 feet of child safety zones — which Texas law defines as schools, playgrounds, public pools, youth centers and similar places — once the city’s restrictions take effect.
Tuesday’s 9-0 vote, with council members Elizabeth Beck and Chris Nettles absent, followed months of legal review and discussions over how restrictive the measure should be. Some Fort Worth residents pushed back on the restriction, arguing that the rule does more harm than good and will not protect children.
“The fact that there’s any opposition to this is quite surprising,” said council member Charles Lauersdorf before the vote. Lauersdorf, chair of City Council’s public safety committee that started discussing the restriction in October, has been a strong advocate for the rule.
The city’s new restriction has exemptions, including if the offender is a minor or was one when the offense occurred. It also exempts registered sex offenders who reside in shelters or places that become off-limits after a new child safety zone is opened nearby.
Those registered offenders who currently live within the limits do not have to move as the new rule cannot be applied retroactively.
Anyone breaking the city’s rule will be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $500 for each day living in violation of the restriction.
The 2,000-foot rule is among the most restrictive in North Texas, as most cities employ a 1,000- or 1,500-foot rule. Keller rolled out a 2,000-foot rule in 2021.
Of the 3,201 registered sex offenders who live in Fort Worth, 2,454 had victims under 17 years old. Of those, 1,577 have no residency restrictions, according to a city staff presentation in December.
City staff initially recommended a 1,000-foot restriction, which would have left about 9% of Fort Worth available for registered sex offenders. But council members worried such a limit would unintentionally lead to certain neighborhoods becoming hot spots for sex offenders to live in.
During a Dec. 2 work session, senior assistant city attorney Jerris Mapes warned the council that stricter limits could open the door to sex offenders suing Fort Worth as the city isn’t legally allowed to “banish” anyone from living within its limits.
City Council members delayed voting on the measure earlier this month so staff could ensure it would hold up against legal scrutiny after some residents threatened to sue if the restriction was implemented.
“I’m not asking the council to excuse wrongdoing,” Fort Worth resident Jerry Puckett said at a Feb. 10 meeting. Puckett and his wife founded and operate Under The SON Outreach, a Christian nonprofit providing transitional living and rehabilitation services to men who are registered sex offenders.
Puckett, a registered sex offender for an offense committed in 1992, went through years of healing and rehab and has since been open about his experiences to help other men recover, he previously told the Report.
His lawyer threatened to sue the city upon the restriction’s approval, although Puckett told the Report that litigation was not his goal.
After Tuesday’s vote, Puckett said his team is reviewing the ordinance and determining next steps as they work to understand how it affects their ministry moving forward.
A drafted map from Fort Worth’s attorney’s office highlights in green where registered sex offenders can live in the city under the new restriction. (Courtesy | City of Fort Worth)
While Puckett would not be directly affected by the ordinance, he said in December he’s concerned about how the restrictions will harm his ministry. Recently released offenders already have limitations on where they can live. Those whose state restrictions expire rarely recommit offenses, he added.
Registered sex offenders who have been renting in now-restricted areas will be allowed to renew their lease, deputy city attorney Laetitia Brown told council members before the vote.
The ordinance will take effect after Fort Worth posts the legally required notices. Brown said Tuesday there is no expected date for posting.
What ordinances do other cities enforce?
Dallas: Does not allow offenders whose victims were under 17 to “remain at or near” child safety zones.
San Antonio: Does not allow any offender to live within 1,000 feet of a park, or loiter within 300 feet of a park.
Arlington: Does not allow “habitual offenders” to live within 1,000 feet of specified zones.
Everman: Does not allow offenders whose victims were under 17 to live or rent within 1,000 feet of specified zones.
Keller: Does not allow offenders whose victim was under 17 to live or rent within 2,000 feet of specified zones.
Mansfield: Does not allow any offender to live or rent within 1,000 feet of specified zones, and this year added restrictions to multiple offenders living at the same dwelling.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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