ST. PAUL – Three Level 2 & 3 sex offenders will be released into the City of Dayton early next week after a years-long legal battle. Great concerns exist among city officials, local law enforcement, and residents about the impact of the offenders moving to the community.
"As a newly elected Representative, I was disturbed to learn the history of how this situation has evolved in Dayton and immediately began working with city leaders and local residents to try to find a way to either stop the placement or lessen the impact on nearby residents," stated Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove), who was first elected last November and represents a portion of Dayton. "I organized a meeting with the new Commissioner of DHS, Tony Lourey, the head of the MN Sex Offender Program (MSOP), city leaders and the other elected state representatives of Dayton, including Rep. Eric Lucero, Sen. Warren Limmer, and Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer.
Rep. Robbins continued," We met in mid-March, but it was too late to stop the placement of the sex offenders in our community. We were able to get some additional safeguards from the state, however, including additional fencing, privacy trees and requiring curtains on the windows of the home. We also got a commitment from the DHS Commissioner to explore other locations for the residential home when the current lease expires that might be more suitable - away from bus stops, parks, etc."
"As a nearly 20-year resident of the City of Dayton, I share the concerns many have expressed to me regarding the safety and security of the residents of our great community. I've been involved with this issue since our community received the first notice in 2016 including attending the community meeting held at Dayton Elementary, and it's very frustrating to say the least that Dayton residents have had this thrust upon us over our objections with little to zero regard from the State," said Rep. Eric Lucero (R-Dayton). "A small city like Dayton, which has limited police resources, should not be mandated by the State to shoulder this burden."
Both Reps. Robbins and Lucero are committed to continuing to work closely with the City, nearby residents, and their colleagues in the Senate to monitor the situation and try to get additional resources for the City to ensure adequate supervision and responsiveness.
"It was helpful for the new DHS Commissioner to understand the history of this process, the on-going community concerns, and understand small cities such as Dayton are not suitable for additional placements," Rep. Robbins said. "We are already bearing a much greater cost than communities of larger size to address the Court's concern about the MN Sex Offender Program."
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