City Quashes Interview About Sex-Offender Ban

INDIANAPOLIS -- Superiors of the city's parks director prevented him from giving a radio interview after he indicated that park rangers wouldn't enforce the city's new ban on convicted child molesters at playgrounds, the show's host said Monday.

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, host of "Abdul in the Morning" on WXNT (1430 AM), said that during an off-air conversation last week, city parks Director Joe Wynns told him that enforcement of the ban would be left to city police and Marion County sheriff's officers. Wynns said there aren't enough park rangers to deal with it, according to Hakim-Shabazz.

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"I thought park rangers would write tickets," Hakim-Shabazz said. "(Wynns said) 'No, no, no -- that's not our job. That's IPD's job. We are not in the sex-offender business.'"

Wynns was scheduled to talk about the issue on the radio show, but a city representative called Hakim-Shabazz to cancel Wynns' appearance, 6News' Norman Cox reported.

The city also said Wynns couldn't talk to 6News. The city's chief attorney, Kobi Wright, said park rangers would enforce the ban, and that he believes Hakim-Shabazz might have misunderstood Wynns.

"It will be enforced by the Marion County Sheriff's Department, the police department and the park rangers," Wright said Monday.

The ordinance prohibits sex offenders who are convicted of crimes against children from being within 1,000 feet of playgrounds, recreation centers, swimming pools, sports fields or other facilities when children are around. The ban includes an exception if an adult with no history of sex crimes is with the offender.

When asked about Wynns' unavailability for interviews, Wright said it is important for city officials to speak with one voice about the ban because the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit against it.

Hakim-Shabazz was skeptical about the suggestion that he misunderstood Wynns.

"I don't know how you can misunderstand something when someone says, 'We're not in the sex-offender business.' What's confusing? I have no idea," Hakim-Shabazz said.