Residents of Austin may attend a community notification meeting Wednesday evening at St.

Tuesday, February 15, 2000

Residents of Austin may attend a community notification meeting Wednesday evening at St. Augustine Catholic Church, where officials will discuss the prospective relocation of a Level III sex offender to the city.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Minnesota Legislature passed the Community Notification Act, which requires law enforcement to notify child-care providers when a convicted sex offender is being released from prison.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections has established Risk Levels I, II and III, with Level I being the lowest risk of reoffending and Level III being the highest.

The risk level is determined largely on the sex offender’s potential to reoffend based on previous criminal behavior.

Neither the Austin Police Department, the designated notification agency, nor the Minnesota Department of Corrections can direct where the offender lives or works.

In a statement, Austin Police Chief Paul M. Philipp said, "Convicted sex offenders have always been released to live in our community. However, it was not until the Community Notification Act was passed in 1996 that corrections and law enforcement were allowed to share this information with the public."

Every school in Austin has been notified of the Wednesday evening meeting and all local news media, too.

While Level II offenders have been released into the community, this marks the first time a Level III offender has been released to Austin.

The identify of the individual is unknown. The only information released before Wednesday’s meeting is that it is a male subject who wants to return to Austin.

According to the police chief, a panel of criminal justice system experts and others will be present to answer the public’s questions. The panel will include Austin police, Mower County attorney, Crime Victims Resource Center and others.

Among the conditions of the individual’s release are that an intensive supervision caseworker be assigned to the individual.

According to the police chief, three Level II offenders were released into the community and there have been no incidents with the offenders to date.

For more information, the police chief invited citizens to call the law enforcement center at 437-9400.