Child Safety Zones

Iowa law prohibits a person who has committed a sexual offense against a minor from residing within 2000 feet of a public or private elementary or secondary school or childcare facility. These areas where sexual offenders are prohibited from residing are commonly referred to as "Child Safety Zones". These residency restrictions apply during the entire life of an offender and continue in effect even if an offender's name is removed from the Sex Offender Registry after the required ten years. Unfortunately, the current interpretation of the Iowa Code indicates that any school or childcare facility established after July 1, 2002 cannot be included in the Child Safety Zones.

The map of Ottumwa's Child Safety Zones shows the area surrounding Agassiz Elementary School, Douma Elementary School, Eisenhower Elementary School, Horace Mann Elementary School, James Elementary School, Pickwick Elementary School, Wildwood Elementary School, Wilson Elementary School, Evans Middle School, Seton Catholic School, Calvary Baptist School, Ottumwa High School, and Ottumwa Alternative School. Ottumwa Christian School does not fall within the Iowa Code at this time due to its relocation to its present site after July 1, 2002. To be able to zoom in on the map for greater detail please download it here. 

The Iowa Sex Offender Registry and Iowa Courts Online website can assist you with obtaining public information regarding convicted sex offenders.

Below is the section of the Iowa Code that restricts residency of sexual offenders of children.

692A.2A Residency Restrictions - Child Care Facilities and Schools.

1. For purposes of this section, "person" means a person who has committed a criminal offense against a minor, or an aggravated offense, sexually violent offense, or other relevant offense that involved a minor.

2. A person shall not reside within two thousand feet of the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school or a child care facility.

3. A person who resides within two thousand feet of the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school, or a child care facility, commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

4. A person residing within two thousand feet of the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school or a child care facility does not commit a violation of this section if any of the following apply:

1. The person is required to serve a sentence at a jail, prison, juvenile facility, or other correctional institution or facility.
2. The person is subject to an order of commitment under chapter 229A.
3. The person has established a residence prior to July 1, 2002, or a school or child care facility is newly located on or after July 1, 2002.
4. The person is a minor or a ward under a guardianship. 2002 Acts, ch 1157.

If you believe a sexual offender is residing in a restricted area, please call the police non-emergency telephone number at (641)683-0661 and provide the police dispatcher with your information, including the offender's name and address. The information will then be forwarded to the Investigations Unit for followup.

A great new tool has made itself available to the Ottumwa Police Department.  "A Child Is Missing" (ACIM), a national non-profit organization, offers free assistance to law enforcement agencies to locate missing persons. ACIM takes a description from police and sends out a pre-recorded message to all published phone numbers within a one mile radius of the location given. This new resource does not replace existing alert systems like Amber Alert but can be used along with them to locate the missing child or person. Other Facts about "A Child Is Missing" * Caller ID's will show 999-999-9999 when ACIM calls * ACIM does not place follow up calls when the child/person is located. This is due to cost and to prevent desensitizing the public with additional calls. * Calls are only made to published phone numbers that are landlines, not to unpublished phone numbers or cell phones. If databases for the other numbers become available at a reasonable cost they may be added later. To learn more about "A Child Is Missing" please click on the link below or the logo above.