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Candidates sought for sex offender committee in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls City Council

A Niagara Falls councilman is seeking applicants to sit on a committee that will look further into the presence of registered sex offenders in the Cataract City.

Ezra Scott, Jr. says he's looking for five individuals to sit on the panel, citizens who would help explore questions including why Niagara Falls, New York is seemingly home to a significant number of registered sex offenders. Scott suggests more than twice the number of those with known records living in the city do not come from there.

"When you look at the numbers, there's about 205 sex offenders that live in the City of Niagara Falls," Scott said. "Only 84 of those sex offenders lived in the City of Niagara Falls before their arrest."

Candidates for the committee will undergo background checks and Scott says representatives from other existing agencies will assist as they seek to educate the public about issues, including the differences in levels of sex offenders.

"People hear 'sex offender' and automatically think of a sex offender as a pedophile," he said. "But you have Level 1 sex offenders, Level 2 sex offenders and also Level 3. I think the discussion our residents can have, when they become more informed on this committee and engage the community as far as informing them, it's educating them on this issue."

Scott is hoping the panel will also include input from the Niagara Falls Block Club Council, YWCA, Sexual Assault Response Team, Department of Social Services, Crisis Services, Child Advocacy Cener and New York State Division of Parole and Probation.

The deadline for interested candidates to submit resumes is 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 3. For more information, email Ezrapscottjr4nf@gmail.com or call (716) 286-4301.

Michael Mroziak is an experienced, award-winning reporter whose career includes work in broadcast and print media. When he joined the WBFO news staff in April 2015, it was a return to both the radio station and to Horizons Plaza.
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