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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Moving beyond mediocrity - intentionally (Part 1)
Part 1: Last week,
this column gave two
examples of build
ing an intentional culture.
Conversations with readers
during the week increased
my sensitivity to “inten
tionality,” stimulating me to
explore this concept further.
Can improvement happen
without intentional effort?
Maybe slight improvement
can occur casually, but I
doubt that any organization
could approach excellence
without conscious, willful
choice.
I saw a friend this week
that I’ve not seen in some
time. I complimented him
on his trim look and asked
if he’d been intentionally
working to lose weight. He
said, “I’ve started running.
I’ve found I can eat anything
I want!”
He had no idea I was work
ing on a column dealing with
deliberate improvement.
But what a great example
Does sex offender
law apply to me?
Dear Mr. Rockefeller,
I was convicted of a
date-rape in Kansas,
served my sentence, and was
released from supervision in
1975.
While I am ashamed of
what I did, I have lived an
honorable life since then,
but I am worried that the
sex offender reporting stat
ute applies to me - does it?
Dear Reader, I pray that
your victim has escaped the
life-long terror to which you
have damned her. However,
you have, apparently, tried
to atone for your sin and we
need to look at how the law
views you. The applicable
statute was designated as
“HB 1059”; it is comprised
of 42 pages of text, so I can
not address it its entirety.
The intent of the legisla
ture was to protect our chil
dren from sexual predators;
however, some questionable
nuances may have to be
interpreted by judges.
For instance, the statute
refers to a “sexually vio
lent offense,” with respect
to the sex offender report
ing requirements for prior
offenses from other juris
dictions. However, a “sexu
ally violent offense” is unde
fined. Thus, courts will have
to decide if “rape” is one;
although it was defined as
one by the repealed statute,
suggesting that rape will
still be considered a “sexu
ally violent offense.”
The legislature’s general
intent was two-fold. First, it
increased penalties for cer
tain crimes; second, it tight
ened sex offender reporting
requirements for sex offend
ers and tightened super
vision of “violent sexual
predators.” Penalties were
dramatically raised, with
some minimum mandatories
being raised to 25 years, the
potential application of the
death penalty being extend
ed beyond murder cases, and
those sentenced to life in
life in prison being required
to serve 30 years prior to
parole eligibility, as opposed
to 14. With respect to report
ing requirements of the new
statute §42-1-12, sex offend
ers' are divided into two
categories -certain sexual
“deadly sin” crimes (violent
personal offenses defined
by §l7-10-6.1) and a hodge
podge of other sex offenses
(as primarily defined in a new
statute §l7-10-6.2), especial
COUNCIL
From page 1A
agreeing to allow the relo
cation of a billboard on the
site on Washington Street
where the New Hope Baptist
congregation is building a
new church.
The Council and the audi
ence applauded for the 11-
12-year old boys baseball
team, which recently won a
he offers! He clearly had
envisioned a more desirable
future state - one where he
could both eat extensively
and be
slim. And
he has
taken
steps nec
essary to
bring that
vision to
fruition.
What
a great
example
of how we
human
%
Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
dhooper2@juno.com
beings
create in two steps. First,
there is the mental creation.
We acquire an idea for an
improved result that we’d
like to create, and we con
sider options that have a
high probability of success
in achieving that outcome.
Then there is the physi
cal creation. An object at
rest will remain at rest
ly if committed against a
minor (false imprisonment,
for example, can qualify).
Curiously, with respect to
statutory rape, there may
be a problem, as there are
contradictions with when an
offender under 21 years old
is required to report.
Regardless, there is the
potential for a judicial over
ride of the reporting require
ments for some convicted
under §l7-10-6.2, and who
have no prior sex offense
convictions; there does not
appear to be an override for
crimes defined by §l7-10-
6.1.
In your
case, we
have to
look at
the time
require
ments for
prior con
victions
trigger
ing sex
offender
Jim Rockefeller
Columnist
ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.com
classification. If you were
convicted of a “criminal
offense against a minor” you
would have to report if con
victed on or after July 1,
1996. Instead, rape being a
“dangerous sexual offense,”
you are a sex offender if
convicted on or after July 1.
Lastly, if rape is a “sexually
violent offense” (it probably
is considered such), you need
to report if subject to only
some type of imprisonment
or supervision on or after
July 1, 1996. As you can see,
none of these apply to your
situation. What does this
mean? While you might need
to seek declaratory relief in
Superior Court, it appears
you are “not” a sex offender
as defined by §42-1-12 and,
therefore, also not subject
to the harsh restrictions of
§42-1-12, as widely reported
in the media.
Even so, to be safe, you
probably should consider
hiring an attorney, particu
larly if you are being threat
ened with arrest.
Warner Robins attorney
Jim Rockefeller is the for
mer Chief Assistant District
Attorney for Houston County,
and a former Florida State
Attorney. Owner of Rockefeller
Law Center, Jim has been in
private practice since 2000.
E-mail your comments or
confidential legal questions
to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.
com.
closely-fought county tour
nament.
They also authorized put
ting out bids for a new air
conditioning unit at the rec
reation gym, and officially
accepted two grants from
the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs.
$15,000 will be made avail
able for Big Indian Creek
renovations, and another
$15,000 will go for the Public
Safety Training Center for
the Perry Police and Fire
Departments.
until acted upon by an out
side force. If you don’t do
something differently, you
should not expect a different
result.
In my coaching, I find that
most people are stronger at
one step than they are the
other. Some are terrific idea
generators, but sometimes
fall short when it comes to
execution.
Others are quite action ori
ented, able to make things
happen, but they need guid
ance from inspiring vision
aries.
Because of this tendency
for each of us to be better
at one of the two aspects of
creativity, I strongly encour
age collaboration!
As Solomon, the wisest
man who ever lived, record
ed in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two
people can accomplish more
than twice as much as one;
they get a better return for
their labor.” (New Living
Translation)
CRACK
From oaae 1A
Dykes said.
Dykes said police found
$1,400 in cash and a con
tainer with about 50 grams
of crack cocaine. Dykes
said offi
cers also
found 7.3
grams of
powder
cocaine,
a bag of
marijua
na and
several
small bag
gies used
to pack
age crack.
CARSON
Carson was charged
with possession of cocaine
with intent to distribute,
possession of marijuana
(less than 1 oz.), traffick
ing in cocaine, obstruction
of an officer, driving with
out a license and failure to
use his headlights.
On Tuesday, about 1:32
a.m., police approached a
suspicious male in the area
of Rosenwald and Whipple
streets. When Officer
Quirdsha Gilliam went to
talk with him he attempt
ed to run. Officer Eric
Barnett
was able
to subdue
the indi
vidual,
Cedric
Demond
Holmes,
31, 705
Ash
Street,
Perry.
Holmes
reported-
HOLMES
ly had a plastic bag in his
hands containing three
cookies of crack cocaine,
totaling 70 grams. Dykes
estimated Holmes had
about $6,000 of crack and
$572 in cash on his per
son.
Holmes was charged
with obstruction of an
officer and trafficking in
cocaine.
Both Holmes and Carson
remain in the Houston
County Jail without bond.
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LOCAL
So I encourage leaders to
work jointly with their lead
ership teams to seek inten
tional improvement. The
key is “intentional.” It is so
easy to be comfortable with
“good enough.”
But comfort with “good
enough” leads to mediocrity,
not excellence. Excellence
requires an intentional
intervention, not just drift
ing along with what’s cur
rently happening.
I recently heard a leader
I respect, as he was pon
dering some changes in his
organization, saj', “I hate
mediocrity!” His comment
contributed to my energy to
write this column.
So what can a leader do
to move beyond mediocrity?
My quick, one-word response
is “reflect.” Insist that your
leadership team, individu
ally and collectively, reflect
on what currently exists and
consider what might lead to
better outcomes.
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Here are a couple of spe
cific thoughts.
First, what are the five top
results areas that you mea
sure in your organization?
Do you have the results for
the past several years posted
prominently so that every
one in your organization
can see the trends? Are the
behaviors that lead to those
results also posted?
Next, does each member
of your organization know
what is expected of him or
her in contributing to those
results areas?
Are the procedures he or
she is to follow clear? Is
someone following up with
each individual, provid
ing either affirmation for a
job well done or corrective
guidance toward a known
methodology that will work
better?
Oh, there is so much more
to explore! Be sure to look
for this column next week,
and we’ll continue!
Perry Police
Officer
James Balli
is pictured
with • the
crack cook
ies, con
tainers and
cash found
during a
traffic stop
Monday
morning.
PPD
Perry Police Capt.
Heath Dykes
shows the 70
grams in broken
crack cookies.
Journal/Ray Lightner
THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2006 ♦
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