Sex-Offenders.com

Knox County has 150,000 card-holding library patrons welcome to visit and check-out books most days of the year and now a new policy is telling sex offenders they’re not on the list.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and the county’s library system are barring sex offenders from using public libraries.

The move comes after a state law change that allows libraries the authority to restrict access to anyone listed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry.

“We are telling these predators to stay away or go to jail. No exceptions. No excuses,” Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said in a written release Monday. “We are going to make sure that families continue to feel safe when they visit a Knox County library.”

The press release from Mayor Burchett’s office suggests offenders wishing to use the library can access the catalog and other resources from an online computer at home. From there, they can have someone else physically visit the library to check-out resources on their behalf.

“Safety, especially for our young patrons is a primary concern,” Director of the Knox County Public Library Myretta Black said in the written release. “While we’ve always taken measures to ensure our patrons’ safety, a result of the new state law is heightened security where registered sex offenders are concerned.”

Law enforcement leaders in the community praised the library system as part of the county’s release.

“I applaud the state of Tennessee for putting tougher regulations on these dirt bags who prey on our children, and I’m pleased that the Knox County Library system has a policy in place that will help protect the public,” Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones said.

“We are happy that the Knox County Public Library is taking the lead to ban sex offenders from our libraries,” Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said. “This new policy will help ensure the safety of all visitors to our library facilities.”