MANAWA, WI – A recent ordinance in the City of Manawa restricting where sex offenders can live was influenced by a concerning incident last year, according to Police Chief Jason Severson.
Severson says the situation involved a registered sex offender moving next to a daycare while no longer under Department of Corrections supervision, raising concerns about oversight and community safety.
City officials have since worked to address those concerns while also balancing guidance from the Department of Corrections on how strict such ordinances should be.
Severson says maintaining awareness of where offenders are living is critical, noting it is better to have individuals in known, monitored locations rather than unaccounted for.
He adds that enforcement is now a priority, and all offenders, including those placed before the ordinance, must comply with the new residency restrictions moving forward that say a sex offender can not live within 100 feet of a child-oriented space.
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