Nevada panel debates ways of monitoring sex offenders

Friday, Nov. 4, 2005 | 12:54 p.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - A Nevada panel that reviews requests by sex offenders that would limit public disclosure of their identities and whereabouts once they're out of prison isn't meeting in public and probably should be, a deputy attorney general said Thursday.

John Michela told the Advisory Council for Community Notification that it's "a pretty close call" as to whether the state's open meeting law applies to the two-person reassessment panel - and in such cases the attorney general's advice is to comply with the law.

State Parole Board Chairwoman Dorla Salling, who sits on the reassessment panel, said there has been a "dramatic increase" in requests by convicted sex offenders for reassessments that would limit disclosure of their backgrounds, and compliance with the open meeting law would only increase the workload demands.

Salling also said the reassessment hearings have been closed until now mainly to protect victims of sex offenders. She added the victims' identities might become public if the hearings are opened up.

Se. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, a member of the advisory council, said he favors open meetings because that would help people realize what type of sex offender is in their community.

Deputy Clark County District Attorney Ben Graham, also on the advisory council, said a sex offender might be reluctant to seek a reassessment hearing that's open to the public because of the prospect of ending up on the evening news.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the advisory council, suggested another review by the attorney general's office. He said the reassessment process shouldn't turn into "a deterrent for people (trying) to improve their lives."

Lance Coburn, an attorney for KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, urged the council to support open meetings of the reassessment panel. He said there has been a perception that sex offenders come to Nevada because they think they can blend in, and a new state law has required more public disclosure about them.

Sex offenders must register their addresses with police, but only Tier 3 offenders - those posing the highest risk of committing more crimes - are subject to general public notification.

Police can't share information with the public about low-risk Tier 1 offenders. They can only divulge information about moderate-risk Tier 2 offenders to schools, daycare centers and churches.

The new law passed by the 2005 Legislature requires Tier 2 offenders convicted of violent crimes to be re-evaluated by next July for possible classification as Tier 3 offenders. That's one of the factors prompting the increase in requests for reassessments from a higher to a lower tier.

Currently, there are about 4,700 registered sex offenders in Nevada. Of those, 64 are Tier 3 offenders.