http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/cms/story.php?id=3205
Seven men who lived less than half mile from school moved as a precaution
Seven sex offenders living in a Fairfax motel less than half a mile from Fairfax High School have been moved out after Fairfax City officials raised concerns it was not a good idea to house them so close to a school.
The seven men were staying at the Anchorage Motel in the 9800 block of Fairfax Boulevard, according to the Virginia Sex Offender Registry. Five of the seven were convicted of sexual crimes against children, according to the registry.
The men were placed in the motel by the Virginia Department of Corrections, which has used it to house inmates after their release.
Fairfax City officials were aware the men were housed at the motel, said Fairfax High School Principal Dave Goldfarb, who issued a letter to parents and teachers at the 2,000-student school about the offenders.
"City of Fairfax Police Chief Rick Rappoport has told me that the police department was aware of the presence of these offenders and worked closely with their parole officers to monitor their activities," Goldfarb wrote in the March 11 letter.
"Nevertheless, it has been the city's position that the placement of any sex offenders in close proximity to a school presents an avoidable risk to students and an unnecessary distraction to offenders attempting to re-enter communities as reformed citizens."
City of Fairfax officials contacted Virginia's probation and parole division to voice concerns.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," Mayor Rob Lederer said. "But there also needs to be a balance against the concerns of our community."
Larry Traylor, a corrections department spokesman, said his agency does its best to place reformed offenders in areas where they can be supervised.
"If one of these guys comes out of prison with no support, no family and no means, we will locate a place for them to live rather than simply put them on the street where they can't be monitored," Traylor said. "Public safety is our job, and we do our best to take every precaution in where we place these individuals, but we are very limited as to what is available to us, and putting them in a hotel is better than just letting them go without any supervision."
Azahr Hassan, who has been manager of the Anchorage Motel for 15 years, isn't sure what all the commotion is about.
"These guys never gave us any trouble and we never had any trouble with rules and regulations," said Hassan, who rents rooms at the 58-room motel for between $65 and $70 per night. "They were just like anyone else."
Goldfarb's letter said the motel "will no longer be used as a temporary transition point for any sex offender."
Traylor said his agency is stuck "between a rock and a hard place" when it comes to housing reformed sex offenders.
"They are no longer inmates," he said. "Placing them in a hotel where you can keep tabs on them still seems like a better idea than just sending them out without any supervision."
But Fairfax City's police chief said having offenders near a school is not the best idea.
"I think clearly the spirit of the law is to put some distance between offenders who are working hard to make a successful re-entry and students who are getting an education," Rappoport said.
The whereabouts of the relocated offenders has not been revealed because of privacy issues, but the men are required to register individually once they get new residences.
gmacdonald@fairfaxtimes.com
The seven men were staying at the Anchorage Motel in the 9800 block of Fairfax Boulevard, according to the Virginia Sex Offender Registry. Five of the seven were convicted of sexual crimes against children, according to the registry.
The men were placed in the motel by the Virginia Department of Corrections, which has used it to house inmates after their release.
Fairfax City officials were aware the men were housed at the motel, said Fairfax High School Principal Dave Goldfarb, who issued a letter to parents and teachers at the 2,000-student school about the offenders.
"City of Fairfax Police Chief Rick Rappoport has told me that the police department was aware of the presence of these offenders and worked closely with their parole officers to monitor their activities," Goldfarb wrote in the March 11 letter.
"Nevertheless, it has been the city's position that the placement of any sex offenders in close proximity to a school presents an avoidable risk to students and an unnecessary distraction to offenders attempting to re-enter communities as reformed citizens."
City of Fairfax officials contacted Virginia's probation and parole division to voice concerns.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," Mayor Rob Lederer said. "But there also needs to be a balance against the concerns of our community."
Larry Traylor, a corrections department spokesman, said his agency does its best to place reformed offenders in areas where they can be supervised.
"If one of these guys comes out of prison with no support, no family and no means, we will locate a place for them to live rather than simply put them on the street where they can't be monitored," Traylor said. "Public safety is our job, and we do our best to take every precaution in where we place these individuals, but we are very limited as to what is available to us, and putting them in a hotel is better than just letting them go without any supervision."
Azahr Hassan, who has been manager of the Anchorage Motel for 15 years, isn't sure what all the commotion is about.
"These guys never gave us any trouble and we never had any trouble with rules and regulations," said Hassan, who rents rooms at the 58-room motel for between $65 and $70 per night. "They were just like anyone else."
Goldfarb's letter said the motel "will no longer be used as a temporary transition point for any sex offender."
Traylor said his agency is stuck "between a rock and a hard place" when it comes to housing reformed sex offenders.
"They are no longer inmates," he said. "Placing them in a hotel where you can keep tabs on them still seems like a better idea than just sending them out without any supervision."
But Fairfax City's police chief said having offenders near a school is not the best idea.
"I think clearly the spirit of the law is to put some distance between offenders who are working hard to make a successful re-entry and students who are getting an education," Rappoport said.
The whereabouts of the relocated offenders has not been revealed because of privacy issues, but the men are required to register individually once they get new residences.
gmacdonald@fairfaxtimes.com
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