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Special tags would ID child abusers
He is offering a bill that would require some people convicted of sexual crimes involving children under 12 to have special tags for their vehicles that would make them more visible to the public and to law enforcement officers. "I think any crimes relating to children that young should be separated from other sexual offenses," Keahey, a Democrat elected last year, said. A person who commits a crime against someone so young has a "totally different intent," the District 65 representative observed. District 65 includes portions of Choctaw and Clarke counties and all of Washington County. Keahey's bill would give a municipal or circuit court judge the authority to order the offender to have to purchase the distinctive plate. His proposal does not specify a design for the plates. That would be handled by the Alabama Department of Revenue. The offender would have to pay an additional $50 per year for the specialty plate. Revenues from the fee would offset administration of the program with $48.75 per tag going to the Alabama Department of Corrections and the counties where the tag is issued getting $1.25. Offenders who do not comply with a judge's order to get a tag would be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $3,000 and not more than six months in jail. Several questions have arisen regarding the bill and it is being delayed in the house Judiciary Committee while he works on the language. Some have asked why a person should be punished if they have served their time. Others wonder how to handle a vehicle equipped with an offender tag that may be driven by a spouse or other family member who is not guilty of the crime. Keahey said he wants to make exceptions for anyone who has been rehabilitated. Other states have attempted similar legislation to call attention to criminals who have harmed children but none have become law. Attorney General Troy King told the Mobile Press Register he had not read the bill but he supports measures to make it easier for parents and guardians to identify a potential concern. Alabama currently has a registry for sex offenders and restricts them from living near schools and other facilities such as daycare centers that care for children.
There is also a new law that requires convicted adult sex offenders to have a special mark on their state drivers license or nondriver identification cards.
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