“My intent is to make Delaware the toughest state in the nation on sex offenders, including repeat and high-risk convicted criminals,” he said.

Lewes pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley was charged Dec. 18 with raping seven patients. Thomas Leggs Jr. of Salisbury, Md., a 30-year-old registered sex offender, was charged Friday, Dec. 25, in the disappearance of a Salisbury girl who was found dead on Christmas Day.

“On my agenda is to really toughen sex-offender laws after these two cases came up,” said Atkins.

Atkins said he is researching controversial proposals in Ohio, Alabama and Wisconsin that would require repeat, registered sex offenders to display special license plates.

“People in the community and children know where they are. It’s time we start learning where they are,” he said.

He is also targeting the driver licenses held by those convicted of sex crimes.

“I will put in a bill that will force high-risk sex offenders and their licenses to say they’re sex offenders,” he said.

He said the licenses would be useful to police officers without access to laptop computers to determine if someone is an offender.

“It would raise red flags for police patrolling the state fair, Punkin Chunkin and the Boardwalk,” said Atkins.

If a state trooper or municipal cop is making a routine traffic stop, it will provide a warning, said Atkins. “Maybe three days from the stop, after a missing child is reported, it will raise a red flag,” he said.

Atkins will also push for sex offenders to register the online chat rooms and the internet handles they use with their probation officers.

Finally, Atkins said he would push for truth in sentencing, or doing away with legislation and policies that allow parole for sex offenders.

“If a judge sentences a child predator to 10, 12 or 25 years in prison, the convict would serve every hour with no time off for probation,” he said.

But, not all legislators agree that more laws are needed.

Rep. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, said he spoke with a criminal investigator after charges were filed against Bradley. Hocker said the investigator said what the state needs is better enforcement of child protection laws, not simply more laws. Hocker pointed out that in the Laurel abduction case, the suspect had been jailed before and was released. He said this case drives home the point that a convicted felon was already in the hands of law enforcement authorities and was released – only to commit further crimes.

Rep. Ruth Briggs-King, R-Georgetown, who has training as a medical technologist and has worked for seven years in a clinic, said she had participated in the extensive doctor credentialing process in that role.

She questioned how Bradley could have received his credentials for practicing medicine in Delaware when red flags went up in other states.

“Rather than introduce new laws, I think we need to look at existing laws to prevent this type of thing. How did this licensing occur in Delaware if there’s been a previous problem in another state? Let’s look at the processes we already have and see what went wrong or what current holes we have in our in our system,” she said. “If we’re not enforcing what we already have, than to write something else would be a waste.”

Sen. Joe Booth, R-Georgetown, could not be reached at press time.