BOULDER, Colo. -- Tuesday night, Boulder City Council is holding a special meeting to discuss how to handle paroled sexually violent predator Christopher Lawyer's living situation.
Colorado currently has no law prohibiting where a sex offender may live. However, several jurisdictions in Colorado have municipal ordinances prohibiting sex offenders from living near schools, parks, and/or daycare centers.
As of 2008, Colorado has six jurisdictions with residency restrictions: Castle Rock, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Commerce City, Greeley and Lone Tree.
For offenders who are under criminal justice supervision, a supervising officer determines where an offender may live based on individual risk and needs.
Michelle Geng, the Adult Standards and Community Notification Coordinator with the Colorado Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Justice, discussed how housing a paroled SVP could be beneficial because it provides close supervision and a place for sex offenders to continuously charge their tracking device.
According to the chief of Boulder Police, three SVPs are living at the Boulder shelter for the homeless, and one is at a private address.
For more information regarding SVP parolee research, visit CSOM.org.