June '07 Nevada Government—Governor Jim Gibbons Column

Legislation also provides GPS monitoring for tier 3 sex offenders

GOVERNOR JIM GIBBONS was joined by Director of Public Safety Phil Galeoto, Chief of the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation John Gonska, Senator Dina Titus (D-Clark), Chief of the Nevada Highway Patrol Chris Perry, and law enforcement officers from the Division of Parole and Probation and Nevada Highway Patrol during the signing of legislation that imposes stricter laws on sex offenders and provides greater monitoring of tier three sex offenders. The proposals included in this legislation were first introduced by Governor Gibbons during his State of the State address.

"As the number of sex offenders in our state continues to grow, it becomes increasingly necessary that we know of their whereabouts. This legislation enhances the laws to ensure that no lapse of time occurs between an offender's release from prison or the offender's relocation from another state. We simply cannot take such risks when children are involved," said Governor Gibbons.

This bill requires incarcerated sex offenders to register with law enforcement prior to their release from prison as a condition of their parole. Current law only requires sex offenders to register within 48 hours of their release. This margin of time, when their whereabouts are unknown, hampers law enforcement officials who have little to no ability to track the location of these dangerous predators who could be frequenting places where children are often present.

Additionally, all sex offenders convicted outside the State of Nevada will be required to submit their DNA samples to local law enforcement upon their relocation to our state. Current law requires out-of-state sex offenders to register with local law enforcement once they relocate to Nevada; however, it does not require them to submit a DNA sample as is required of those convicted in our state.

Tier three sex offenders are considered the most dangerous sexual predators and are statistically proven to be the most likely to re-offend. In an effort to provide law enforcement with additional tools to better track these dangerous predators, this legislation provides GPS monitoring of Nevada's tier three sex offenders and creates safety zones prohibiting tier three offenders from living or being in places that are frequently visited by children. These zones can include amusement parks, arcades, and schools. The concept for safety zones originated in Senate Bill 232, which was introduced by Senator Titus.

"Monitoring Nevada's tier three sex offenders strengthens existing safeguards and helps to ensure that these dangerous predators do not strike again," Governor Gibbons added.

Photo 1: Governor Gibbons hands signed legislation to DPS Director Phil Galeoto.

Photo 2: Governor Gibbons holds GPS device used for tracking tier three sex offenders. Governor pictured with DPS Director Phil Galeoto, Chief John Gonska, Chief Chris Perry, and Nevada Law Enforcement officers.