FORCING THEM OUT (Babylon mapping program intended to locate sex offenders leads to eviction of those living too close to places where children gather)

Two weeks after implementing a mapping system to track sex offenders, Town of Babylon officials said yesterday they had identified seven offenders living too close to places where children congregate and 17 in illegal housing.  The seven were told to leave their residences by the town's Quality of Life Task Force because they were violating a county residency restriction law.  The law, passed in June, prohibits registered sex offenders from living within a quarter-mile of schools, parks, playgrounds or licensed child care centers.  One offender evicted was Clarence Carter, a Level 2 offender, who was forced to leave a North Amityville trailer park located near a child care center.  Carter, who moved to a house in Wyandanch, also was among the seven offenders just evicted because his new residence was too close to a park.  Carter's landlord said she ordered Carter out on Friday after the town told her he was a sex offender.  At the Wyandanch home, a yellow sign hanging on the back door yesterday was addressed to Carter and read: Do not enter this home.  Sex offenders are not welcome here.  Leave the property now.

(New York)