Sex-offender alert system to debut March 24
Sex-offender alert system to debut March 24
BY RICK BRAND rick.brand@newsday.com
3:27 PM EST, March 3, 2008
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A new nationwide e-mail system to give parents automatic alerts of sexual predators who move into their neighborhoods, should be up and running by March 24 on Long Island and May 1 nationwide, officials said Monday.Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law, said at a press conference in Stony Brook that she expects "hundreds of thousands" of people to sign up electronically for the service by providing their zip codes."Sex offenders are getting better at what they do; we are getting better at what we do," said Ahearn, who was accompanied by officials including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Reps. Timothy Bishop (D-Southampton), Peter King (R-Seaford) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola). Inormation is power and we want to empower parents," Ahearn said.
The new system represents a significant upgrade to the group's existing e-mail alert system, which has only available locally. Current users must enroll by mailm and every alert goes to everyone who has signed up Islandwide, no matter where the offender is located.The new system will for the first time provide a map showing where each sexual offender is located. Ahearn said the new system, which will get its national data from the sex offender registries in all 50 states, will send out a new alert each time a convicted offender's information changes, such as when they get a new car or and change probation officers.The $593,000 federal grant will also fund public education, support services and referrals by phone across the country, and increase in person advocacy locally. "One of the best things were doing is we're alerting parents and alerting them fast," said Schumer, "We want people to know inmmediately."
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2. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=5995134
Sex offender alert system on LI
Local News
Sex offender alert system on LI
Monday, March 03, 2008 9:06
L.I. group to receive funding for Megan's Law alert system
Eyewitness News
LONG ISLAND (WABC) -- An organization on Long Island that works to protect children from sex offenders is the recipient of funding for a nationwide E-mail alert system.
A New York congressional delegation is scheduled to announce on Monday that Parents for Megan's Law will get the $593,000 grant to build the system.
The Stony Brook-based organization aims to create a database-driven site that allows registered users to sign up for alerts when a sex offender has moved into a community. It will match by ZIP codes.
Some of the money is also expected to go toward the National Megan's Law Helpline, which the organization staffs.
Elected officials say the electronic system will lessen parents' worries about their children's safety.
(Copyright ©2008 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
3. http://longisland.about.com/cs/governement/a/sex_offenders.htm
New York State Megan's Law
New York State Megan's Law
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Sex Offender Registry
By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com
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Keeping our children safe is a priority for all parents. One way to protect our children is to make sure their environments are as safe as possible. While we can't eliminate all potential dangers, we can make sure we are aware of those that do exist. That is where the New York State Sex Offender Registry comes into play.
In 1995 Governor George Pataki signed into law The New York State Sex Offender Registration Act, better known as Megan's Law. This law requires sexual predators to register their whereabouts upon release into the community. This information is then made public via the New York State Sex Offenders Registry, which is maintained by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. It allows parents to learn if a high-risk offender is living in their neighborhood. Here's what you need to know about obtaining information from this registry.
· The New York State Sex Offenders Registry is accessible through a for-fee information line (1-900-288-3838). You may obtain information on low risk (Level 1), moderate risk (Level 2) or high risk (Level 3) offenders. There is a charge of .50 per call which allows you up to five searches.
· You can also access the registry online at the Division of Criminal Justice Web Site. The online database, however, only contains information on high risk (Level 3) offenders.
· Not all sex offenders are listed in the registry. According to the Division of Criminal Justice Services Web Site: "In May 1998, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an injunction prohibiting the State from classifying any sex offender who committed his or her crime prior to January 21, 1996 to a risk level higher than a Level 1 for purposes of community notification, unless the offender has had an opportunity to avail himself or herself of a hearing to contest the higher risk level. Accordingly, while the injunction remains in effect, Level 3 sex offenders who committed their crime prior to January 21, 1996, cannot be included in the Subdirectory."
· Parents For Megan's Law, Inc. (PFML), a not-for-profit national community and victim's rights organization, maintains another database on their Web Site. In addition to listing the Level 3 offenders that are contained on the online database maintained by the Division of Criminal Justice Web Site, this registry also lists Level 2 offenders living in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
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4. http://nymag.com/news/features/42368/
The House Where They Live
The House Where They Live
There are 45 sex offenders living in one small Long Island town, 17 on the same block, 7 in a single suburban ranch. Inside a sex-offender cluster.
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By Jennifer Gonnerman
· Published Dec 30, 2007
Mickey, in typical attire.All photographs by Christopher Anderson
The house meeting begins promptly at 7 p.m. Mickey paces the living room with a clipboard in one hand, a cigarette in the other. His three newest housemates—Stephen, Hop, and Larry—sit before him. “When you all came to this house, you begged me to move you in,” he says. “Right or wrong?”
“Right,” the men mumble.
“I interviewed everybody, explained how we do things, the whole fucking works. The problem I got right now,” he continues, “I spent three hours cleaning the whole fucking house today. The kitchen was a fucking disaster. I don’t want to see that shit no more, because I will take the microwave, the dishes, the pots and pans, everything out of there, and I will lock it in the basement so we have nothing.”
The men slouch in their chairs and stare at the angelfish darting around a tank in the corner of the room. Mickey plunges ahead, railing against a litany of slovenly offenses. Only Hop offers a meek defense. “I’ve just been here a few days. I’ve always cleaned up after myself.”
At first glance, this could be a scene out of just about any place where strangers live together—a college dorm, a group home, an apartment full of roommates. But the ordinary feel of the meeting belies the strangeness of the situation; all of the men in the room are convicted sex offenders.
This house, in Coram, New York, sits at the center of the largest cluster of sex offenders on Long Island. As of mid-December, according to the state’s sex-offender registry, there were 45 high-risk sex offenders living in this hamlet, seventeen on a single block. And this house has the dubious distinction of holding the highest concentration of offenders in the neighborhood—seven of its nine residents have a sex offense on their rap sheet.
The men—all of whom asked to be referred to by their first names or nicknames for fear of harassment—don’t look particularly menacing, but their stories certainly are: Larry was convicted of raping a 4-year-old girl in 1983, Hop went to prison in 1982 for sodomizing a girl, and Stephen was convicted of rape in 1985. Mickey, 46, also did time for a sex offense. His rap sheet, which extends back to the early eighties, features mostly burglaries and DWIs, but in 2000, he was convicted of sexual assault for pushing a 16-year-old girl into the woods and trying to pull down her pants before she managed to escape.
These men live in this house because, for better or for worse, they have been cast out by society. The nature of their crimes guarantees that they will be identified as sex offenders—or, as they sometimes call themselves, “S.O.’s”—for the rest of their lives, their names, photos, and addresses, along with the particulars of what they’ve done, all available on the Internet. In Suffolk County, they are prohibited from living within a quarter-mile of a school or playground or day-care center. As long as they’re on parole, they can’t leave the county or move in with friends or family who have kids. And once they find a place to reside, the police start knocking on doors to inform neighbors that there is a sex offender in their midst, which often leads to their eviction.
Against this bleak landscape, Mickey’s house is something of a refuge—a place where sex offenders have banded together, trying to help themselves by helping each other. “We ain’t got nobody but ourselves,” says Mickey. “Nobody would help one bit. So we just did it on our own.”
This neighborhood of Coram has never had much to recommend it—just a dozen or so rooming houses that look like typical suburban ranches but for the smell of crack drifting from the windows. The area is better than it once was, but at night, especially when it’s warm, people still swarm the streets, hanging out, buying and selling drugs. “The first time I went out there, I thought I stepped into the movie Night of the Living Dead,” says a local law-enforcement officer. “I almost went for my weapon. People were coming out of the bushes with their arms extended, trying to make a drug deal.”
One thing the neighborhood did have was a landlady who would rent to almost anyone. Mary Dodson had moved to the area in the fifties, and over the years had accumulated so many houses—close to 35—in Coram and neighboring Gordon Heights that the area became known as Dodsonville. In a county with a shortage of low-income housing, her properties became magnets for welfare recipients, homeless people, anyone who needed a cheap place to stay. With these new residents, all sorts of social ills arrived, too—violence, mental illness, open-air drug dealing. Depending on whom you asked, Dodson was a good-hearted Christian taking in people who had nowhere else to go—or a slumlord who had run the neighborhood into the ground for her own financial gain.
Next: A sex-offender house becomes the best of few options.
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5. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/nyregion/08sex.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
Woman With a Mission: Keeping Tabs on Sex Offenders
Woman With a Mission: Keeping Tabs on Sex Offenders
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By COREY KILGANNON
Published: March 8, 2008
STONY BROOK, N.Y. — After a quick aerial survey of Long Island and the sites where its 1,200 registered sex offenders reside, Laura Ahearn used her computer’s mouse to swoop down on the Nassau County village of Hempstead, dotted with 50 icons resembling pushpins: green for Level 2 offenders, blue for Level 3. She headed east over Brentwood in Suffolk County, home to about 60 offenders, and zeroed in on the thickest cluster: the Gordon Heights section of Coram, with 69 pushpins, more than a dozen crowded onto a single block.
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Also in Ms. Ahearn’s office are sex offender listings, by state.
She clicked on one pushpin icon, and up popped a picture, complete with dossier: Age, 67. A Level 3 offender. Drives a red Ford Focus. Convicted of first-degree sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl.
For the past decade, Ms. Ahearn has been painstakingly compiling such information about sex offenders and distributing it — first by hand, then by e-mail — to their neighbors, including updates like a new car or new scar. Last week, her nonprofit advocacy group, Parents for Megan’s Law and the Crime Victims’ Center, received a $593,000 federal grant to take the project national, using the sharp new mapping program that enables such a computerized tour.
“Probably safer than giving it in person,” said Ms. Ahearn, 44, a tough-talking smoker and workaholic who started the group as a grass-roots crusade with several volunteers and now has 25 part- and full-time employees and a million-dollar annual budget. “Sex offenders may be good at what they do, but all of us are getting better at what we do.”
Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representatives Timothy H. Bishop, Pete King and Carolyn McCarthy all joined Ms. Ahearn in her inconspicuous office in a strip mall here to announce the federal grant. The group plans to use the money to compile sex offender data from all 50 states into maps on a revamped version of parentsformeganslaw.com, its Web site, scheduled to make its debut on May 1; to create a national e-mail notification program to alert people about offenders in their ZIP code; and to establish a toll-free number that Ms. Ahearn says will be the first national Megan’s Law help line.
Critics call Ms. Ahearn’s zealous pursuit of sex offenders counterproductive and unconstitutional, and contend that overexposure can deter the offenders from checking in with the authorities.
“Mapping out sex offenders makes them greater social lepers than they already are,” said Seth Muraskin, executive director of the Suffolk County chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “You’re fostering punishment, not rehabilitation, and you’re leaving them very vulnerable to mob justice. You’re basically challenging vigilantes to come to their doors.”
Notification has also caused some complications. In Southbury, Conn., neighbors recently petitioned the local authorities to reduce their property tax assessments, claiming that a registered sex offender’s recent move into the area had brought down the value of their homes.
But Ms. Ahearn is constantly pushing for more restrictive laws against sex offenders on local, state and federal levels. She worked with lawmakers on state legislation limiting online activities of sex offenders, and on the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
She supports state legislation that would require real estate brokers to provide house hunters with sex offender registry material, as well as a proposed Suffolk County regulation against renting to more than one sex offender per residence. She opposes, however, a proposal to prohibit registered sex offenders from residing within a quarter-mile of homes for the elderly, worrying that it could be used to overturn existing residency requirements prohibiting sex offenders from living near schools, parks and day care centers.
After Ms. Ahearn fought to keep paroled sex offenders out of homeless shelters, Suffolk County in 2006 began placing them in a trailer it promised to move from location to location to avoid overburdening any one area; lately officials have been keeping the trailer next to the county jail in Riverhead.
Long Island has had its share of nationally covered sex crimes — from the Friedmans of Great Neck, whose strange tale was documented in the film “Capturing the Friedmans,” to the Katie Beers dungeon case — and Ms. Ahearn has harnessed the issue to attain national prominence.
She is on a first-name basis with elected officials and has gained folk-hero status in many neighborhoods dense with sex offenders.
Ms. Ahearn, a mother of two, was studying to become a social worker when New York State enacted Megan’s Law in 1995, and she found that it was difficult, despite the new disclosure requirements, to get the names and addresses of local sex offenders from the authorities. So she began pressuring politicians and the police, all the while compiling her own local registry and posting it online, complete with offenders’ addresses and graphic details about their crimes.
Publicizing such details has provoked anger among those on Ms. Ahearn’s registry, and after numerous threatening phone calls, she moved her office out of her home in 2000. At the strip mall, one room holds a mock witness stand and stenography machine that are used to familiarize children with the setting before they testify in court. Ms. Ahearn’s office walls are lined with photographs of politicians and notorious sex offenders, and drawings by victimized children.
On Tuesday, workers were cross-checking registry information and preparing updates for school districts and community groups, based on the latest state data and notifications mailed from dozens of local police departments, a vital source of information on Level 1 offenders.
Early on, volunteers would gather information by visiting local police departments and hand-copying details to type later into the database. The group distributed the information to schools and community groups by mail or in person. Though much of the latest information is now computerized, the group still has a huge number of files in binders, labeled by ZIP code, by last name and by offender level.
“These people navigate under the radar screen,” Ms. Ahearn said of the offenders. “We want them to know they’re being watched.”
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6. http://www.sexualoffenders.com/index.php?cat=&catname=Latest%20Links&type=&page=10
Some Sex Offenders Go UntrackedHundreds of California sex offenders who are supposed to be monitored for life under an initiative approved by voters last year are now unsupervised because the law does not detail who is responsible for tracking them or how to pay for enforcement.
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Sex Offenders Challenge Registration Two sex offenders are challenging a new state law that will change the way sex offenders are classified and can affect their registration requirements.
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Holding Schools Liable For Sex AbuseAt first glance, it has to be a loophole. Why should public school principals who tolerate sexual abuse on their campuses be treated differently from church officials who do nothing about child-molesting priests?
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Agencies Hired Sex Offender As InformantCraig Allen Hartline is a convicted sex offender, but when he moved to Minnesota last year he didn't register, which is a felony. He earned $14,000 while working here, but didn't file a tax return and admits he hasn't filed one since 1983.
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Sex Offenders Don't Have to Move, YetThe state Supreme Court issued a three-week reprieve Wednesday to four recently released sex offenders who are illegally living too close to schools and parks.
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Md. Sex Offenders Told To Post 'No Candy' Signs, Turn Off Lights On HalloweenSigns that say "No Candy at This Residence" will be posted on Halloween outside the homes of more than 2,000 registered sex offenders in Maryland.
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No Candy From Registered Sex OffendersBaltimore Police are telling registered sex offenders to keep their Halloween candy to themselves. Signs will be placed on lawns before kids head out to trick-or-treat.
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Local Sex Offender Arrested; Cops: Offender Had Porn Pics Of Young BoysA convicted sex offender was arrested on child pornography charges Tuesday afternoon after detectives at the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) spent several hours piecing together shredded photos of nude boys.
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Sex Offender Suspect In Missing Student Case Gets PrisonA man under investigation in the disappearance of a San Diego State University student was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday for failing to register as a sex offender.
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Punishment Alone Won't Protect Us From Sex PredatorsWhen a sex offender commits a horrendous crime such as that with which Terapon Adhahn has been charged, we want to do something dramatic so such a thing doesn't happen again.
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Sex Offender Who Failed To Register Sentenced Under New LawA federal judge has sentenced a 50-year-old Seattle man to five years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender.
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In Plea Deal, Lawyer Admits Having Sex With TeenagersA former lawyer for a white-shoe law firm admitted having sex with three teenage girls and pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of statutory rape and patronizing a prostitute in return for a one-year prison sentence.
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School Boards Debate Sex Offender AccessSchool boards across the country are debating how to deal with parents like Cody Mittleider. The 28-year-old married father of three young children spent a year in prison for a 2005 rape conviction, but has since worked to become a respected member of the community.
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Motivational Speaker Sentenced To Prison For Child PornA motivational speaker who made numerous appearances on national television has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison for a child pornography conviction.
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Fugitive sex offender returned to Long IslandSal Inghilleri, the Long Island man wanted for failing to register as a sex offender after molesting Katie Beers in 1991, was in an area hospital last night after waiving extradition from North Carolina.
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Fla. Law Toughens Sex-Crime PenaltiesFlorida's sex predator penalties became among the nation's toughest Monday as a new law took effect tripling maximum sentences to 15 years for soliciting minors for sex and possessing child pornography.
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Sex Offenders: Surveillance TestGov. Chris Gregoire's decision to have the state's Level 3 sex offenders tracked via global positioning system devices is sound.
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WA Children Appear In Court Over Sex ChargesFive children from a remote north-west WA community have appeared in the Perth Children's Court via video link, charged with a number of sex offences against other children.
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Paroled NY Sex Offender Arrested In NCA paroled sex offender linked to the notorious case of a girl who was kidnapped and hidden in a dungeon more than a decade ago has been arrested in North Carolina after vanishing from New York.
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Gregoire Directs Expansion of Electronic Monitoring of Sex OffendersIn response to the abduction and murder of 12-year-old Pierce County girl this summer, Gov. Chris Gregoire has ordered an emergency program to better track the state's most dangerous sex offenders.
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7. http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/crimprof_blog/2006/09/newsday_analysi.html
Newsday Analysis: Why Sex Offender Clusters Form
« CrimProf Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Speaks at Criminal Justice and Equality Discussion Main The Answer to Preventing Teen Drug Use: Eating Dinner »
September 27, 2006
Newsday Analysis: Why Sex Offender Clusters Form
From Newsday.com: A Newsday analysis shows that Coram and Gordon Heights have by far the highest concentration of Level 2 and 3 sex offenders on Long Island: 39 convicted sex offenders live within a half-square-mile area. Fifteen reside on one block alone, and 11 properties house multiple offenders.
It's no accident that so many sex offenders ended up in this small area, according to experts, politicians and offenders themselves. Newsday's analysis shows that this cluster came about for a variety of reasons, including the low cost of rentals, their location more than a quarter-mile from schools or playgrounds, which is required by law, and the willingness of some landlords to accept sex offenders.
Department of Social Services also plays a large role in forming clusters. DSS officials insist they do not "place" offenders in homes or neighborhoods. Rather, they say they give offenders vouchers to pay for housing, advertisements for vacancies, and phone numbers for brokers and landlords willing to accept offenders; but offenders are responsible for choosing a residence. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]
September 27, 2006 in News Permalink
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8. http://libizblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/sex-offenders-banned-from-emergency-shelters/
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Sex offenders banned from emergency shelters
December 19, 2007 by Henry E. Powderly II
The Suffolk County Legislature yesterday afternoon passed a bill sponsored by Legis. Kate Browning that prevents sex offenders from accessing general public emergency shelters in the case of a disaster.
Instead, registered sex offenders will be directed to shelters for fellow convicts.
Browning has said the bill was created in response to the sex attacks that happened in New Orleans in 2005, when city residents packed into the public shelters because of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Any thoughts?
From the county’s statement:
When entering an emergency shelter this local law requires registered sex offenders to notify a shelter manager, a shelter employee, or a shelter volunteer of their sex offender status. The shelter operator shall notify the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services that a registered sex offender has checked into the shelter. In cooperation with the Department of Probation, FRES will establish and maintain a shelter that is used solely for housing sex offenders during a public emergency. FRES will be authorized to have the sex offender moved to the designated shelter, where the Department of Probation will be in charge of monitoring them. In cases where an offender cannot be moved, a law enforcement officer will be assigned to monitor them. In addition, shelter providers will post a sign advising sex offenders they must identify themselves, or failure to do so can lead to their arrest.
“I have made a commitment to protect the residents of the 3rd Legislative District and all of Suffolk County. By removing these dangerous individuals to a designated site, women, children and their families will be offered the same protections they receive at home,” said Legislator Browning. “The lessons of Hurricane Katrina should not be ignored. The weeks following Katrina over 50 sexual assaults occurred in general population shelters. Today we passed a law that will protect Suffolk County residents, who in the event of an emergency depend on County government to provide a safe place to go,” stated Browning. Laura Ahearn said, “In the weeks following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita there were a large number of sexual assaults reported that had occurred in general population emergency shelters. I worked closely with Legislator Browning to address this issue in Suffolk County. I.R. 1977 will protect children, women and their families from registered sexual predators at a time when they are most vulnerable. I applaud Legislator Browning’s efforts to protect Suffolk County residents.” Legislator Kate Browning finished by saying, “Thank you to my colleagues for their support”.
Posted in Kate Browning, Suffolk, crime 6 Comments
9. http://www.tf-risk.com/knowledge/20060629_sexoffenders.asp
Sex offenders in seniors housing facilities:What you don't know can hurt you.
Sex offenders in seniors housing facilities:What you don't know can hurt you.
Imagine this:
It's a peaceful, sunny morning in your seniors housing community. You've just arrived in your office. Suddenly you hear the screech of car tires. You look outside and see a motorcade of state police vehicles pulling up – and no, it's not the governor making a surprise campaign stop.
Before you've had time to react, troopers march into your lobby and fan out down every corridor … posting official flyers … knocking on doors … notifying each and every shocked resident that YOUR COMMUNITY is home to a convicted sex offender.
And you were the last to know.
This is not a fictional scenario. In at least one state, troopers personally executed the notification mandates of a Megan's law-type statute by showing up unannounced in the lobby of a seniors housing facility.
"To call it a marketing nightmare only begins to describe the situation," said Alice Kush, a Chicago-based attorney who specializes in seniors housing law.
A ticking liability bomb
The insidious phenomenon of parolees and convicted sex offenders finding their way into the populations of nursing homes – either as residents or staff employees – is a crisis with few straightforward answers. Administrators, human resources managers, risk officers and corporate counsel must deal with a patchwork of state mandates, vague legal language and guidelines, not to mention their responsibilities to unsuspecting residents.
"There aren't enough Tums in the world for this issue," said Kush.
First, let's try to "wrap our minds" around the scope of the problem. Be advised: because of chronic underreporting, data limitations and privacy concerns, these statistics are just a snapshot. This is by no means the full picture.
Advocacy and watchdog groups say as many as 800 registered, convicted sex offenders now reside in long-term care and assisted living facilities across the country.
States with the highest number of sex offenders known to be residing in nursing homes are Texas, California, Illinois, Ohio and Florida.
Since the 1990's, resident sex offenders have committed nearly two dozen rapes, murder and other crimes – that we know of.
In several states, new laws requiring mandatory employee-background checks have revealed hundreds of ex-felons and sex offenders working on nursing home staffs.
For example, Michigan flushed out hundreds of certified nursing aids with a total of 836 outstanding arrest warrants for drug and sex crimes. These were CNAs working directly with residents on a daily basis.
We could fill several more pages with similar bullet points …
Must-reading for every operator: the new GAO Report
The problem is so pervasive, a number of U. S. Representatives and Senators jointly directed the General Accounting Office to undertake a comprehensive study. The new GAO report was published in March, 2006. We at Thilman Filippini strongly recommend that you obtain and carefully read a copy.
The report – Long Term Care Facilities: Information on Residents Who Are Registered Sex Offenders or Are Paroled for Other Crimes – is available by going online to www.gao.gov/ and searching for Report # GAO-06-326.
Mandates and misconceptions …
What's the root of this issue? And from a Managed Risk standpoint, what specific steps can you take to stay ahead of it?
Generally, we're talking about those Medicaid- and Medicare-certified nursing homes – 20,000 or more – who accept placements through state health agencies, transfers from hospitals, etc. These facilities are home to a diverse population now estimated at 1.5 million women and men, including X-number of felons who've served out their sentences or parolees who have certified disabilities and other health issues.
Again quoting Ms. Kush: "Even criminals get older and need specialized, long-term care."
But sex offenders, unlike burglars or even murderers, are famously resistant to rehabilitation. Advancing age, declining health or even physical disability does not mean an individual is now "harmless."
Dozens of studies, backed by decades of law enforcement experience, have shown extremely high rates of recidivism. A former sex offender (almost 97% are male) can ply the straight and narrow for many years – to a point where even he is convinced his troubles are behind him – before an "opportunistic" situation presents itself and he is unable to resist, experts say.
Here we should highlight two very dangerous misconceptions:
It's natural to assume that now-elderly sex offenders committed their crimes in younger days. But don't believe it. One study found that of 49 registered offenders – all in their 80s or 90s – 47 were convicted of sex crimes after the age of 59.
It's also tempting to believe only elderly sex offenders reside in nursing homes. Again, not true. Another study in 2005 found 45.2% of 756 known offenders in nursing homes were under 60. Two were 19!
Since the enactment of Megan's Law in 1996, the federal government now requires states to have procedures for registering ex-cons and notifying a "community" whenever a sex offender takes up residency. But since the details of Megan's Law were left in the hands of individual assemblies, states have widely differing procedures.
What's more, a number of widely publicized incidents have prompted state and even county legislatures to enact "vulnerable citizens" laws to protect local nursing home residents from sexual predators.
In one of many examples, this month Suffolk County (New York) lawmakers are poised to enact an ordinance requiring nursing home operators to determine whether employees, residents and even volunteers are listed on a state's offender registry, according to the Long Island newspaper Newsday.
If a resident is found on the registry, operators would be required to notify every worker, resident and their families, or risk a $2,000 fine for each violation.
This action was spurred by the sexual molestation of an 84-year old woman by a 54-year old resident – a registered sex offender – who'd been convicted only four years earlier of raping a 60-year old woman.
By now you must be asking: how in the world did this man get into a nursing home? The answer is dishearteningly simple.
The convicted offender suffered a stroke two years ago and was discharged from prison. State officials and nursing home operators knew of his record, but weren't required to notify anyone. Everybody assumed he was now harmless. Wrong.
This is precisely the kind of high-liability situation for an operator that we alluded to earlier in this article.
Complicating matters even further, if you thought it was possible, is the fact that language in various statutes is maddeningly unclear. Just as states define "long term care" facilities differently for licensing purposes, vulnerable-citizens' statutes seldom make clear which facilities are covered. Assisted living, per se, is not mentioned in most laws. Nor are independent living communities.
All of this makes compliance a problematic but essential challenge.
"If you had only one federal law, you could probably write it on a single page," said Ms. Kush, "but the 50 different laws make it imperative for any nationwide operator to have a manual … a really well-thought-out set of guidelines."
Legal and practical considerations
Know your state laws, inside and out. What does your state require in terms of background checking, notifications and maintaining records?
Define your procedures down to the last detail – in writing – and designate the responsibility for background checking to a senior staff position. In other words, put someone in charge of this.
Familiarize yourself with individual state and U. S. Department of Justice web sites. They are easily accessed, free and generally helpful. Be aware that some states list only the most "heinous" sex offenders … others do not list offenders already in prison. This last point is critical since an offender may be discharged and placed before authorities have updated their listing.
No listings exist prior to 1990, when the first registration laws were enacted.
If a resident is found to be registered, it need not automatically mean a discharge or refusal to admit. Notify your staff and conduct an intensive behavior assessment. For the most part, there's actually a greater risk of violent behavior from persons with cognitive impairments or dementia than truly disabled individuals with criminal records. Use your professional judgment.
Perhaps the simplest piece of advice offered by Ms. Kush: Ask! Before a new resident is admitted, specifically ask if he (or she) has ever been convicted for a sexual offense. If this question is not a checkmark-box on your admissions paperwork, it should be. If the individual is suffering with cognitive difficulties, ask the legal guardian.
Above all, coordinate with your risk officer and corporate counsel.
"Common law dictates a basic duty to protect," said Ms. Kush. "Now there's a duty to check. In today's environment, with so much information widely available over the internet and elsewhere, the liability threshold is much lower."
For more on this issue, a good source is www.aperfectcause.org. This group provides reduced rates for checks through www.backgroundcheck.com.
10. http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/03/man_admits_he_p.html
Man plotted to burn down house filled with high-risk sex offenders
Man plotted to burn down house filled with high-risk sex offenders
Enraged by the risk of having convicted sex offenders living near his two-year-old daughter, a Long Island man says he plotted to burn down a nearby residence that housed four men convicted of child rape and other sex crimes.
Newsday says Donald Keegan, 36, "admitted telling an undercover detective that he planned to torch the house, which is located less than a mile from his Mastic home. Keegan also admitted setting "practice fires" in his backyard." He said a passing police car scared him off when he went to burn down the house.
"When Mr. Keegan was taken into custody, detectives recovered from his car a road flare and a squeeze bottle full of the accelerant he planned to use to burn 115 Eleanor Avenue to the ground," the district attorney said in a statement. "As you'll see on the undercover video, the defendant's intentions are clear; he intends to burn down the house and kill the people living there."
"I want them dead," Keegan, a county maintenance worker, is quoted as saying on the tape.
The Long Island Press says he faces up to 16 years in prison when he's sentenced in April. The New York Times has a map that shows the cluster of high-risk sex offenders in that part of Suffolk County, N.Y.
Posted by Mike Carney at 11:20 AM/ET, March 29, 2007 in Crime Permalink
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11. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/431099/when_sex_offenders_get_too_close.html
When Sex Offenders Get Too Close
When Sex Offenders Get Too Close
I live in a town that has a reputation for being the worst town on Long Island to live on. I need not say the name of my town in fear that someone who lives in my general area would get offended... but if you live where I live odds are you already know where I'm from.It's not the ghetto, not by a long shot...but it has it's reputation.-Anyhow, on Long Island we have the largest amount of Sex Offenders here then we do anywhere else. In my surrounding neighborhood their are approximately 6 sex offenders. All of these sex offenders are within a block to 5 blocks away. It's close, but still I have a string of comfort knowing these sex offenders are not necessarily on my 'actual' block.The 6 sex offenders though are close enough.I'm simple minded, and for some reason figured seeing how they are not on my block they won't bother me, they won't see me, and I won't see them. I assumed that being on the sex offenders list would also cause them to become hermit like people. You know, they kind that never leave their home.I mean hell, they are sex offenders, odds are they NEVER leave their home in fear of someone saying something or doing something to them.My sister lives 2 blocks away from me. There is one sex offender that lives a block away from her. His crime...high risk level 5, raping a 17 year old girl.2 sex offenders live a block over, 2 sex offenders on one block! Their crimes, level 3. Moderate risks, raping young women... relation to these women...strangers.The other sex offenders are scattered a few blocks from there, these guys were on the list for raping and molesting young boys.We get the fliers in the mail on a weekly basis, the list grows and grows... but I have never actually feared any of it. It disgusted me, pissed me off, and make me want to kill them...yet it was never the topic of dinner conversation.We would discuss new flyer's we got in the mail with my sister only because she has kids...but as an adult, I figured I had nothing to worry about. So long as my sister kept a close eye on the kids we were okay. Right?
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12. http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-new-york/4099994-1.html
Long Island landlord group: Sex offender law goes too far
Long Island landlord group: Sex offender law goes too far
By Hardesty, Dawn WotapkaPublication: Long Island Business News Date: Friday, November 17 2006
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An Island property rights group is knocking a Suffolk County legislator's proposed sex offender legislation, calling the bill a "ridiculous" effort to turn landlords into cops.
Paul Palmieri, executive director of the Babylon-based Coalition of Landlords, Homeowners and Merchants, said Legis. Kate Browning's proposal - which Browning labeled the nation's first sex offender law targeting
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landlords - goes "too far."
If Browning, Working Family-Shirley, has her way, landlords renting to more than one sex offender will have to register with probation officials and complete training in "sex offender issues." They would also have to pay a $500 fee every two years and be required to ensure that the home has a functioning phone.
Palmieri derided the requirements as "ridiculous."
"The landlord now can't become the police of the state," he said. "If it was me, I'd challenge that law to no end."
Browning acknowledges that her bill, introduced Oct. 17, needs tweaking. It's still unclear, for example, what penalties would face landlords unaware of a renter's offender status. Apartments are also not covered in the existing text, although they could be added, according to Browning.
But Browning is still pushing ahead.
"Constitutionally, I can't tell [sex offenders] they can't live where they want to live. I can't prevent them from picking a place to live," said Browning, a former bus driver who took office in January.
But "if landlords want to house multiple sex offenders, then I think they should be held accountable," she added.
Landlord Charles Manolakos, who would have to register under the new law, accused Browning of "causing an unnecessary panic" and "blowing a lot of hot air."
Manolakos said there are no studies proving a residency restriction "makes you any safer or reduces the chance" of an offender committing another crime. And housing multiple offenders together "serves to monitor them and probably reduces the chance of them 'falling through the cracks,'" he added in an e-mail to LIBN.
County Executive Steve Levy is reviewing the proposal. A spokesman said it's too early to comment.
While the law would apply countywide, Browning said she crafted her bill to target areas in eastern Suffolk where offenders - who are already required to register with public databases - tend to cluster.
Of the 1,277 registered sex offenders on Long island, 825 live in Suffolk. In Gordon Heights, 62 offenders live within 1.7 square miles and in Mastic, one home houses four sex offenders, with two more planning to move in, according to Browning.
"The landlords have no accountability and no liability to the community whatsoever," said Tawaun Whitty, chairman of the Gordon Heights Visioning Steering Committee, an economic revitalization group, and head of its sex offender committee. "It's making them accountable because they basically are running a business. Just as businesses have regulations, they should have regulations."
Uzo Akujuo, a spokesman for the Coalition of Landlords, called for a more cautious approach. Sex offenders, he noted, have to live somewhere, "whether we like them or not."
"They can't live on the moon," Akujuo said.
In mid-September, Browning helped introduce separate, pending legislation that would essentially prevent county agencies from housing more than one sex offender per home, she said. But only a small percentage of offenders receive agency assistance, Browning said, so she decided to target landlords.
She's also crafting legislation allowing the county sheriff's department to monitor offenders to ensure they live at the addresses they list with authorities.
The details of what would be taught in the required landlord training program, and how much that training would cost, are not included in Browning's current proposal. An "intentional" violation would be a misdemeanor punishable by an up to $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
Browning said she hopes the law will squeeze more than landlords. Her stated goal, in fact, is to make the county as undesirable as possible to registered sex offenders.
"When they see there are so many laws here in Suffolk County, they may think twice about coming here," she said.
A public hearing on the proposed landlord law is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Smithtown.
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I Just wanted to Say Thanks for letting me know that this is happening. Due to recent events in the town I live in. I had the chance to help the local Police find a Sexual Preditor. I got his new address from an email You all sent to me. The Police department here did not have, and were not notified when He had moved or where to. THANK YOU for helping me keep my community and Family safe.
Dear Family Watchdog, You couldn't possibly know what your service does for people. My dear friend [name removed] was murdered back in May of this year. She was only 24 years old. She went missing after a cell phone record showed she was talking to a [registered sex offender's name removed]. He wasn't brought in for questioning until my sister went onto your site and found that he was a convicted sex offender, several times over. It may have been too late for [name removed] by the time we found out, but because of your site, we were able to find her body and lay her to rest. It's hard to know that such a tragedy could happen to you or someone you love. But it can. I'd just like to thank you for helping bring her killer to justice, and for the countless other families you've helped.
I was recently in a very dangerous situation with a convicted sex offender who drugged and violated me. Since I was drugged at the time I was unsure as to what exactly what had happened that night. I suspected that he had possible raped me, but, I doubted my own judgment. It was then that I found him on your alert service. Neither I nor anyone who knew him had any prior knowledge that he had a record. I can't believe the irresponsible arguments that these convicted offender's rights are being violated. With all the children and women and men for that matter that are vulnerable to violation, concern for the rights of the rapist doesn't just border on insane it is insane. People have a RIGHT to know who these people are. I would like to thank Family Watchdog for validating my suspicions and giving me the courage to speak out. I only wish I had found this site before my attack.
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14.http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/
15.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27weekli.html
Bill Would Make Offenders Share Probation Costs
The Week on Long Island
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By LINDA SASLOW
Published: May 27, 2007
Bill Would Make Offenders Share Probation Costs
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People on probation would have to pick up some costs of their cases under a bill introduced by State Senator John J. Flanagan.
Based on recent estimates, Suffolk County would save $580,000 annually from these fees, said Senator Flanagan, a Republican from Smithtown.
The State Senate passed Mr. Flanagan’s bill on May 8. If the measure is approved by the Assembly and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, counties could charge an administrative fee of up to $30 a month for each person on probation, which would go toward paperwork and other costs of probation.
If, for example, someone on probation is required to undergo regular drug testing, the legislation would enable a county to require payment of up to $8 a day toward the cost, with a cap of $600 a year. For those required to be monitored electronically, the fee would also be up to $8 a day, with an annual cap of $900.
If the fee would create a hardship for those on probation or their families, the probation department could waive all or part of it.
According to the New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, in 2006, the latest year for which statistics were available, there were 10,388 individuals on probation in Suffolk County, and 7,020 in Nassau.
While the legislation may seem like a logical plan, Nora V. Demleitner, a Hofstra University law professor who is interim dean of the law school, said it was unfair and impractical.
“It puts another financial sanction on these people, many of whom do not have resources,” she said. “In addition, there will be additional administrative costs to collect the money. What if someone defaults? And how do you make the assessment if someone is incapable of paying?”
Audible Crossing Signal Is Installed in Islip
As part of an effort to make Islip a model town for the visually impaired and all disabled residents, the town recently unveiled its first audible pedestrian signal, to alert pedestrians when it is safe to cross a street.
The device, installed at the intersection of Main Street and Union Avenue, was installed by the State Department of Transportation and is one of eight in use on Long Island, said a department spokeswoman, Eileen Peters.
Two others are on Routes 106 and 107 at the Hicksville train station, four are along Route 25 in Suffolk County, and one is on Route 106 in downtown Oyster Bay.
A ninth is being installed on Route 109 in Farmingdale.
The signals emit a low beeping tone until a raised arrow is depressed by the pedestrian; then a computerized voice instructs pedestrians to wait. After a few moments, the voice announces that the walk signal is on, then counts down the seconds left to cross safely.
The town and Innersight Inc., a local advocacy group for visually impaired individuals, have worked together for the signal in Islip.
The signals cost $500 to $2,500, Ms. Peters said. They are installed at the request of municipalities if it is determined that there is a need.
Frank Perino, president of Innersight, said the group had sent letters to 20 municipalities and Islip was the first to move forward with the proposal.
About 100,000 visually impaired people live on Long Island, Mr. Perino said, adding: “Many people don’t leave their homes because they are afraid to try to cross the street. These devices are important for reasons of safety, as well as independence.”
On May 8, Islip’s Town Board approved a resolution requiring site plan reviews for future development projects to consider audible pedestrian crosswalks where warranted, particularly at major intersections with superstores.
“These signals are a safety benefit to all residents,” said Councilman Steven J. Flotteron, who introduced the measure. “Aside from people who are visually impaired, they are also helpful for parents with kids who may be distracted while crossing the street.”
Uniform Rules Sought on Sex Criminals’ Residency
Restrictions on where sex offenders may live, which now differ by municipality, would become uniform statewide under a bill introduced by Assemblyman Thomas Alfano.
Mr. Alfano, a Republican from North Valley Stream, introduced the measure to bring uniformity to restrictions for the higher-risk offenders, Level 2 and Level 3. The legislation would bar those sex offenders considered at moderate or high risk of committing another offense from living in motels, hotels or other facilities that are used as temporary social services housing and are within 3,000 feet of a school, playground, house of worship, day care center or elder care facility.
When sex offenders get out of jail, they are often indigent and get an allowance from the state that enables them to stay in a motel, Assemblyman Alfano said.
Mr. Alfano introduced the legislation after a discussion with Thomas Dolan, superintendent of schools in Franklin Square, who said sex offenders were living in the Capri Motel, in West Hempstead, just blocks from two schools. Because the motel is not within the Franklin Square district’s boundaries, the district had not been notified, Dr. Dolan said.
Mr. Alfano said the state registry showed that two Level 3 sex offenders listed the motel as their residence; another sex offender listed his address as the Courtesy Hotel, which the assemblyman said is 1,200 feet from St. Thomas Catholic School.
Since 1996, when Megan’s Law became effective, sex offenders are required to register with the New York State Sex Offender Registry. According to the registry, there are 484 sex offenders in Nassau County, including 157 Level 2 offenders and 71 Level 3. In Suffolk, the total number of sex offenders is 826, including 307 at Level 2 and 137 at Level 3.
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Discuss this story email this Sex offenders more easily tracked with new alert system Parents for Megan's Law to offer sex offender alerts and information through e-mail By Anna Gustafson
Sun photo by Peter Blasl U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthyÊspeaks at a press conference announcing an expanded effort to track sex offenders in New York State. She is joined at the podium by, from left to right, U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, Parents for Megan's Law executive director Laura Ahearn, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Peter King.
Area residents will be able to more easily track the number of sex offenders moving in to their neighborhoods with a new nationwide e-mail system soon to be launched by a Stony Brook nonprofit group, local officials announced Monday.
A $593,000 federal grant for the Stony Brook-based advocacy group Parents for Megan's Law will allow for the organization to offer a sex offender community e-mail alert system to hundreds of thousands of people across the country, according to the organization's executive director, Laura Ahearn. The new e-mail program will be launched by March 24 on Long Island and May 1 nationwide and will allow users to register, by any ZIP code, for alerts they would like to receive when a sex offender moves into a community.
"And you'll be able to look at a map and see where all the sex offenders live, their names and the crime of the offender," Ms. Ahearn said.
Ms. Ahearn announced the new program -- a more extensive version of an alert system the group currently offers for Long Islanders -- along with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Representatives Timothy Bishop (D-Southampton), Peter King (R-Seaford) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), who all touted the funds as necessary to help parents better educate themselves on sex offenders in their neighborhoods.
"We now have the ability to communicate with constituents in a more effective manner, such as e-mail, and I'm really glad to see the federal government could provide some assistance to really engage the community in a different way," said County Legislator Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham).
There are a little more than 1,200 registered sex offenders on Long Island, with 834 in Suffolk County and 453 in Nassau County. In Suffolk County, the zip code 11727, Coram, has the highest number of registered offenders, with more than 57 sex offenders residing in the area.
With the new system, residents in Coram, and, again, throughout the country, will soon be able to not only access information on where the sex offenders live, but easily find out how far away they are from schools, parks and day-care centers. The new system, which will receive national data from sex offender registries across the country, will send users alerts when an offender's information changes -- such as if they get a new probation officer or are using a different car.
"This is an education matter," said County Legislator Brian Beedenbender (D-Centereach). "Just knowing where somebody lives is not enough. Parents have to have more information on how to protect their children."
Additionally, the new system should help parents looking to move into a new area.
"If you want to purchase a new house, you can look by address and see what offenders live around you," Ms. Ahearn added.
The federal grant will help to fund an increase in advocacy and public education as well, Ms. Ahearn said.
"There are funds for support services for people who are victims of sex crimes," she said. "We can add additional advocacy staff. We have a heavy advocacy case load for victims of sex crimes and other violent crimes, and the federal funding helps us to deal with the increase in advocacy requests."
17. http://www.registeredoffenderslist.org/steps-to-protect-your-children.htm
10 Rules for Protecting Your Children from Registered Child Offenders
10 Rules for Protecting Your Children from Registered Child Offenders
National Alert RegistryPhotos, addresses, and criminal records of child offenders.www.NationalAlertRegistry.com
The First Missing Childrens Broadcast Amber Alert SystemJim Beistle, Co-FounderTonia Plemmons, Co-Founder1-806-669-2980www.TeamAmberAlert.net
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children1-800-THE-LOSTwww.missingkids.com
National CrimeInformation Center (NCIC)304-625-2000www.fas.org
My Family CD & SafeKidsCard.com760-486-3446www.myfamilycd.com
Good KnightChild Empowerment NetworkU.S. Government sponsored child safety materials and programs www.goodknight.org
1) Teach Children Key Information. Teach your child(ren) their full name, address, phone number with area code, parents' names and work phone numbers. Practice reciting this information often as children may often forget pertinent information over time. Also practice how to make an emergency call to you or 911 from a pay phone.
2) Teach Children Who is Safe.Children should be taught at an early age what type of "stranger" is okay to ask for help when they are lost or frightened. Good examples are: a mother with children, a counter clerk in a store or a uniformed police officer. Next time you visit a store, practice picking these types of people out with your child(ren).
3) Know Where Your Child is Going.Children should always inform you before they go anywhere. This applies to older children as well since they are equally at risk to abduction by registered child offenders. As you give your older children more freedom, reiterate safety rules with them. As a parent ask the questions: who, what, when, where, why and take the time to follow up on their responses.
4) Teach Children about the Buddy System.Never let your children go anywhere alone. Remind them that there is safety in numbers and they should always use the buddy system, never going anywhere alone. Stress the point that they should avoid situations that might isolate them from others or crowds.
5) Don't let Children be Lured in.Children should be taught not to go near cars or be lured by adults asking for directions, help finding something they lost, that their parents are in trouble and that they will take them to mom or dad. Make sure your child understands that they should always keep a safe difference from strangers and never get close.
6) Develop a Password System.Children can be very trusting of adults, especially adults whom they may be somewhat familiar with. It is critical that you and your child(ren) have a password system. Work out ahead of time an arranged password that any adult whom tries to accompany them must have before they will go anywhere with them. Pick a password that is both easy for your child to remember and something that is not easy for a stranger to determine (don't make a password out of a name or address). Share the password only with your child, family members and trusted friends.
7) Reinforce Safety Skills.Parents should seize opportunities to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, speak frankly about it and use this time to discuss and re-emphasize the safety rules with them. Be sure to comfort them with the fact that there is always someone who can help them. Please visit www.goodknight.org for Government Sponsored Abduction Prevention Materials (books, tapes, DVD videos, & programs). These materials are bilingual (Spanish/English). Some of the safety films were written, created, and directed entirely by children so that other children could learn how to protect themselves from dangerous situations by recognizing the behavior patterns of those who might try to harm them.
8) Always Keep an Up-To-Date Record of Your Child's Information & Discription.In case of an emergency, it is imperative that a readily available, up-to-date record is kept. Records should include a recent photograph, fingerprints, physical attributes and even a DNA sample. The easiest way to keep up-to-date records on your child is with a child ID kit. You can print or download a free Child ID Kit.
9) Know How to Report Your Missing Child.Time is a very critical factor in abduction cases. Seventy four percent of children who are abducted and murdered are killed within three hours of the abduction. When you can not find your child, you should immediately call your local law enforcement and provide your child's name, date of birth, height, weight, and any distinctive marks such as eyeglasses, braces or scars. Request that your child's information be immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center's Missing Person File. After you have reported your child missing to local law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
10) Take the Initiative to be Informed.As a parent, be informed by knowing where the child offenders live in your neighborhood and around your local schools. The National Alert Registry has a wealth of information on registered child offenders all in one place, including photos, addresses, degree of criminal offenses, and distinguishable markings. Visit the National Alert Registry at www.NationalAlertRegistry.com where retrieving this important information is fast and affordable, making it easier for you to.
You can learn about these and other important child safety tips with the childrens Safe From Harm Video.
18. http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=026&sh=story&story=14342
Carrozza Supports Increased Protection against Sexual Predators
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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News from Assemblywoman Ann Margaret Carrozza26th Assembly District
Carrozza Supports Increased Protection against Sexual PredatorsJune 10, 2005
Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) announced the Assembly introduced legislation she is sponsoring to extend the statute of limitations for class B felony sex offenses committed against a child less than 18-years-old and to keep communities up-to-date by creating a Sex Offender Alert Line.
"Sex crimes, especially against children, leave life-long scars and are among the most deeply disturbing in our society," Carrozza said. "Expanding our authority to prosecute and establishing additional safeguards like a Sex Offender Alert Line can help stop these heinous acts."
The first measure to amend the statute of limitations would:
increase the criminal statute of limitation for prosecuting class B felonies to begin when a child reaches 23 or when the offense is reported;
extend the civil statute of limitation for remedies to injuries suffered from class B felonies to cover up to a 10-year period after a child reaches 23; and
provide a one-year "window" after enactment of the bill, for child victims now past the foreclosure date, to press charges.
The second bill establishes a Sex Offender Alert Line would allow families to sign up for an automatic alert by phone or e-mail if a sex offender moves into up to three specified zip codes.
"Most families don’t have the time to check the Sex Offender Registry on a regular basis," Carrozza said. "This measure makes sure they have up-to-date information to protect their families."
Carrozza remains committed to protecting our loved ones. Last year, she authored legislation that bans sex offenders from living within 500 feet of a school. In addition, Carrozza has supported and sponsored a number of measures which are now laws requiring:
a mandated life sentence without parole for an individual who murders a child under 14 in the course of a sexual crime (Ch.459 of 2004);
Provides a toll-free telephone number for the sex offender registry and allow youth service organizations to perform background checks on up to 20 people per call (Ch. 361 of 2004);
sex offenders who attend school or work in New York, but are registered in other states, to register in New York as well (Ch.11 of 2002); and
law enforcement agencies to provide photos and descriptions of sex offenders when notifying community organizations that a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender has moved into a neighborhood (Ch.316 of 2003).
"We must be single-minded in our determination to end these crimes," Carrozza said. "Taking action against sexual predators through our courts, state-wide registries, hotlines and additional alert systems, combats this vile criminal behavior, helps to save lives and keeps children and families out of danger."
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19. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-nyc--meganslawfundin0303mar03,0,5617891.story
L.I. group to receive funding for Megan's Law alert system
4:17 AM EST, March 3, 2008
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STONY BROOK, N.Y. - An organization on Long Island that works to protect children from sex offenders is the recipient of funding for a nationwide e-mail alert system. A New York congressional delegation is scheduled to announce on Monday that Parents for Megan's Law will get the $593,000 grant to build the system. The Stony Brook-based organization aims to create a database-driven site that allows registered users to sign up for alerts when a sex offender has moved into a community. It will match by ZIP codes.
Some of the money is also expected to go toward the National Megan's Law Helpline, which the organization staffs. Elected officials say the electronic system will lessen parents' worries about their children's safety.
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Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
20. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lisexo1220,0,988979.story?coll=ny-top-headlines
Mixed response on sex offenders in Long Beach
Mixed response on sex offenders in Long Beach
BY BRANDON BAIN Newsday Staff Writer
11:24 PM EST, December 19, 2006
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Some Long Beach residents Monday night voiced support for a residency restriction on sex offenders but were torn between civil rights and the possibility that a proposed law could force offenders underground or cause them not to register with police.About two dozen residents attended a hearing on the legislation, which would virtually eliminate the possibility offenders could find housing legally within the city limits."It's a violation of civil rights," said Mark Jackson, of Long Beach. "You pass this legislation and you're going to get whacked with lawsuits."
Related links
NY State Sex Offender registry
Audit: Monitoring sex offenders
Sex offenders on LI
NY Sex Offender Registry List
Al Symons, of Long Beach, said the law was a good first step and that the "constitutionality will be challenged in the court of law."One sex offender psychotherapist said she was concerned the law could negatively affect young adults who unknowingly have sexual relations with an underage person.James, a convicted sex offender from Long Beach who asked not to have his last name printed, said after the meeting he was against the residency restriction. "Where am I supposed to go?" said James, a Level 2 sex offender, which is considered a moderate risk to re-offend.The new residency restriction on offenders is part of a growing trend on Long Island, in which municipalities are passing legislation to limit where convicted sex offenders can live.City Council members introduced the bill earlier this month, following passage of a similar measure in East Rockaway that bars offenders from living 1,000 feet from schools and 500 feet from playgrounds, recreation centers, day care centers and school bus stops.Long Beach is only 4,000 feet wide at its widest point and the new law will make it more difficult for offenders to live in areas that are 500 to 1,000 feet from places where vulnerable people, such as children, women and senior citizens, reside. The city's 3 1/2-mile-long beach would also be off limits to sex offenders, as it is considered a public park.The Long Beach bill is slightly modified from Nassau's law to keep sex offenders away from bus stops or businesses that children may use.Council member Tom Sofield said the city ordinance was necessary because the Nassau law only requires enforcement from county agencies. "Our perspective was that there was a loophole," he said.Long Beach now has five registered sex offenders, according to the state registry, but lawmakers said the city had as many as 10 offenders in November.The restriction does not apply to offenders who are already living in the city when the law is passed or to offenders under age 18, who live at home with their parents. Offenders who fail to comply could face jail time, a $1,000 fine or both.If passed, the measure would also establish an e-mail alert system that would have police immediately notify residents of offenders that move into the city.The City Council is expected to vote on the measure in 2007.
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