A little-enforced city ordinance requiring felons to register with the Dothan Police Department has drawn the ire of the Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, who intends to ask the city commission to repeal it.
The ordinance requires felons released from prison who reside in Dothan to register with the city police department within 24 hours of their release. Once registered, the felons are given an identification card they must carry at all times.
Glasgow said the ordinance contributes to racial profiling. He also said it’s unfair to continue penalizing people who have paid their debt to society.
Failure to comply with the ordinance can result in a misdemeanor offense, but only seven people in the past 20 years have been cited for the offense.
Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton said his department doesn’t go looking for unregistered felons, but the ordinance is a useful tool for police.
Benton said the registration cards act as red flags to police, letting them know that they may need to more thoroughly investigate when they’ve come into contact with one of their bearers.
“It let’s police know that this is a person who needs to be looked at more closely,” he said.
Glasgow said he intends to ask the city commission to repeal the ordinance at its next meeting.
Glasgow is also embarking on a campaign to get employers to remove questions concerning potential employees’ status as convicted felons from employment applications. He said the question prevents former felons from getting jobs and improving their lives after being released from prison.
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