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Tuesday, April 19

Ward introduces bill to protect Alabama from Sexual Predators

On Tuesday, March 29, Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) and Representative Blaine Galliher (R- Gadsden) introduced new comprehensive legislation that would close loopholes for sex offenders and further protect Alabamians.

“This standard enables law enforcement and district attorneys to better enforce the sex offender statutes in Alabama, thereby protecting our most vulnerable – our children,” Ward said. “We need to pass this bill in a timely and official fashion.  I will never waiver in my support of children and families.”

SB296 strengthens the current law by expanding the registration information that a sex offender must give local law enforcement when registering vehicles, telephone numbers, Internet information and email addresses.  The bill also closes loopholes by requiring that all offender registration information be stored electronically and immediately available to the public. Finally, it positively impacts law enforcement by reducing the time to 30 days, instead of 180, for sex offenders to register prior to release from incarceration.

 “The current statute is inadequate and this bill closes some gapping loopholes,” Randy Hillman, Executive Director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association said. “The District Attorneys have worked for many years to get this legislation adopted and now we are finally giving law enforcement the tools they so desperately need.  We commend Senator Ward and Representative Galliher for their leadership.”

“This legislation is essential to our efforts to protect the Alabama public from sex offenders,” said Col. Hugh McCall, head of the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

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