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Local advocates ask West Valley council to back felony reclassification for registry violations
Summary
Chanel Hill of Stand Against Fear and Exploitation urged the West Valley City Council to submit letters supporting a state bill that would reclassify certain offender‑registry violations as felonies after a high‑profile incident in public parks.
Chanel Hill, founder and senior officer of Stand Against Fear and Exploitation (SAFE), urged the West Valley City Council during public comment on May 27 to back a proposed state measure she called the Offender Registry Violation Accountability Act.
Hill said recent media reports showed Wanda Barzee — a woman previously convicted in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping — entering public parks in Utah in clear violation of her registry conditions. “Under current Utah law, the violation is treated as a misdemeanor,” Hill said, arguing that the status quo offers “no mandatory sentence — no felony” and that penalties amount to “just a possible fine [or] short stint in jail.” She told the council she has a state House sponsor interested in filing legislation to reclassify registry violations for convicted sex offenders as felonies and asked the mayor and council members to send letters of support to the state sponsor.
The request was made during the council’s public comment period; Hill framed it as a statewide policy issue and requested only the council’s voice, not funding, to help show that cities want stricter consequences when registry conditions are violated.
No council action on the measure was taken at the meeting; the item was a request for local endorsement and was presented as advocacy to the Utah Legislature.
