Bill would require special plates

The restriction wouldn't be retroactive, the state legislators say.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Two state lawmakers want violent and repeat sex offenders to have to use specially colored license plates similar to those required for some people convicted of driving drunk.
The tag should keep convicted sex offenders from idling near playgrounds and parks by making them more noticeable, said Rep. Michael DeBose, a Cleveland Democrat.
Ohio has toughened its regulations on registered sex offenders in recent years, banning them from living near schools and approving funding to monitor some violent offenders with global tracking devices.
The ramped-up restrictions have angered some sex offenders who say they're being kept from returning to normal lives.
But Sen. Kevin Coughlin, a Cuyahoga Falls Republican, said the license plate legislation is not intended to ostracize them in scarlet-letter fashion. It's simply a way to make Ohioans more cautious by letting them know when some sex offenders are near, he said.
Whom they're for
The legislation calls for special plates for people convicted of violent or habitual sex crimes and crimes involving children. The restriction would not be retroactive.
Ohio requires that people convicted twice on DUI charges within a six-month span and people who register high blood-alcohol levels affix yellow license plates to their cars.
The proposal calls for pink tags for sex offenders, but Coughlin said he may change the color because of pink's association with breast cancer awareness groups.
DeBose said the Legislature has a responsibility to protect Ohioans by enacting similar restrictions for some sex offenders.
"Driving is a privilege and not a right," the Cleveland representative said.
DeBose introduced the bill in April, where it has stalled in committee. Coughlin proposed it to the Senate in November but said he plans to substitute it in January with new legislation addressing whether sex offenders can rent cars or drive company cars.
Offenders object
Sex offenders said the restriction could keep reformed criminals out of jobs or could hamper their efforts to live normally in society.
"I don't really like it because it doesn't give people a chance to prove that they've changed," said Westley Dixon, 34, of Akron, who was convicted of rape.
Other offenders said license plates wouldn't prevent sex crimes because those affected by the restriction could find ways around it. They said they fear the restriction could be extended to all of Ohio's 13,000 sex offenders, even though it is being proposed as a nonretroactive regulation aimed at the worst criminals.
Other states have increased their monitoring of sex offenders to make sure databases have current addresses and to keep some offenders away from parks, playgrounds and schools.
Mississippi began this year requiring registered sex offenders to report to a driver's license station every 90 days to have a new photo taken and update residency and employment information.
Florida has started using tracking devices for lifetime monitoring of some child molesters. Massachusetts and Oklahoma also have passed bills to use the tracking technology.
Tennessee is testing similar technology that alerts authorities if sex offenders enter restricted areas, such as schools or victims' homes.
The technology allows parole officers to locate sex offenders using bracelets linked to satellite global position systems. Officers can be notified if the bracelets are removed or if the offender enters a restricted area.
Ohio's 2006-07 budget includes funding for sexual predator supervision using the satellite systems.