Another Meeting Planned To Discuss The Issue Of How And Where To House Sex Offenders

Utica Councilman At-Large Jim Zecca is still looking for answers about how and where sex offenders can and should be housed in Oneida County.

Zecca joined WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning on Monday to invite community members to an upcoming meeting on Wednesday to try to develop a solution.

''What this is all about is the people of our community that are concerned with this issue, this is a big issue. The state is not doing its job. The regulations go back to the state of New York.''

Where do you put them?

''I requested and have been denied, informally, a list of all the motels and hotels in Oneida County that are currently accepting vouchers. We're going to have to go the next step, a FOIL request. We want to know if this burden is being placed on the city of Utica,..it should not be 80% or 90%. In our meeting with Oneida County, not one shelter will accept sex offenders, criminal offenders or drug users,'' Zecca said.

''Some other counties require hotels and motels that house sex offenders, and it has to be posted,'' he said.

Zecca says the issue will be the topic of an upcoming community meeting on Wednesday night at 6:30, at 50 Riverside Drive - the North Utica Senior Center. ''We're hoping people from the county or outside the county have some good ideas/solutions.''

WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning Seg 1:

WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning Seg 2: