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Senate committee hears support for 1,000-foot child-safety buffer for certain registrants
Summary
Senators heard testimony for SB460, which would prohibit certain registrants required because of offenses against children under 13 from knowingly appearing within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and child-care centers when their presence would 'warrant alarm.' Supporters described repeated loitering incidents; safety officials said the bill targets alarming loitering rather than ordinary movement.
Sen. Denise Ricciardi, sponsor of Senate Bill 460, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the measure was requested by the Department of Safety and is aimed at protecting children in locations where they are most at risk. "The bill protects children in the places where they are most at risk," Ricciardi said, describing a 1,000-foot buffer triggered when a registrant's presence would "warrant alarm."
Early Learning New Hampshire executive director Jackie Cowell told the panel the idea came from childcare providers who said police lacked preventive tools when registrants loitered outside centers. "This came up as a worry...there was nothing that the police departments could really do," she said in support. Center director Molly Tremblay described repeated episodes of offenders standing outside her facility, photographing or watching children and staff, and said police told her current law left them limited options. "It's not a safe situation at all," Tremblay said.
Representatives of the Department of Safety and state police clarified the bill is intended to address loitering and prowling behavior that creates public alarm, not ordinary passage through a neighborhood. Department witness Eddie Evans and Captain Mick Muzzy said the conduct element—behavior that would "warrant alarm"—is the trigger, so a registrant simply walking past a school would not automatically violate the bill.
Committee members pressed for operational details, asking whether a 1,000-foot buffer would unduly restrict movement in cities and how schools, churches and day-care centers would be mapped. Supporters and the department said the bill balances safety and civil liberties by focusing on suspicious behavior rather than imposing residency or employment bans.
The committee took public testimony and questions and closed the hearing after cross-examination and technical clarifications. The bill was left for further consideration by the committee.
