Cherry Hill to appeal Megan's Law ruling

Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt announced yesterday that the township would appeal a ruling issued last month that struck down an ordinance restricting where sex offenders may live.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled that Megan's Law and other state statutes regulate sex offenders and preempt municipal ordinances that add more layers of restrictions. In doing so, the court invalidated Cherry Hill's ordinance and those adopted by at least 114 other towns, saying these local laws bordered on vigilantism and excessive regulation.

In Cherry Hill, the court found that the buffer zones were so large that released sex offenders who had served their time were relegated to one posh neighborhood or to a "desolate field."

Platt said the township would appeal to the state Supreme Court.

"I am asking the Supreme Court to think about the innocent children in our society instead of sex offenders' rights," he said in a prepared statement.

The state Supreme Court has 20 days to decide whether it will take up the case.

Two moderate-risk sex offenders sued Cherry Hill Township three years ago, after police ordered them to move from the Hillside Motel on Route 38, where they had been placed by their parole officers. Police said the motel was within 2,500 feet of Camden Catholic High School, one of the town's many buffer zones.

Galloway Township, whose ordinance was also struck down, will also appeal the ruling.