Bill Text: NY A02649 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Expands the amount of information available to police and the public, by means of the internet, on registered sex offenders; authorizes any person to register with the division of criminal justice services to receive e-mail notification of all sex offenders residing within their zip code.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to correction [A02649 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A02649-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2649
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 17, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. SIMOTAS, MILLER, HOOPER -- Multi-Sponsored by --
         M. of A. CERETTO, CROUCH, RAIA  --  read  once  and  referred  to  the
         Committee on Correction
       AN  ACT  to amend the correction law, in relation to the registration of
         sex offenders
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Subdivision  6 of section 168-b of the correction law, as
    2  amended by chapter 106 of the laws  of  2006,  is  amended  to  read  as
    3  follows:
    4    6. The division shall also establish a [subdirectory] DIRECTORY pursu-
    5  ant to section one hundred sixty-eight-q of this article.
    6    S 2.  Paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision 6 of section 168-l of
    7  the  correction law, paragraph (a) as amended by chapter 106 of the laws
    8  of 2006, paragraph (b) as amended by chapter 513 of the laws of 2011 and
    9  paragraph (c) as separately amended by chapters 318 and 680 of the  laws
   10  of 2005, are amended to read as follows:
   11    (a)  If  the  risk  of  repeat offense is low, a level one designation
   12  shall be given to such sex offender. In such case  the  law  enforcement
   13  agency or agencies having jurisdiction and the law enforcement agency or
   14  agencies  having  had  jurisdiction at the time of his or her conviction
   15  shall be notified and may disseminate  relevant  information  which  may
   16  include  a  photograph  and  description  of  the offender and which may
   17  include the name of the sex offender, approximate address based  on  sex
   18  offender's  zip  code,  background  information including the offender's
   19  crime of conviction, modus of operation, type of  victim  targeted,  the
   20  name and address of any institution of higher education at which the sex
   21  offender   is   enrolled,  attends,  is  employed  or  resides  and  the
   22  description of special conditions imposed on the offender to any  entity
   23  with vulnerable populations related to the nature of the offense commit-
   24  ted  by  such  sex  offender.  Any entity receiving information on a sex
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02690-01-3
       A. 2649                             2
    1  offender may disclose or further disseminate  such  information  at  its
    2  discretion.  IN  ADDITION, IN EACH SUCH CASE, THE NAME OF THE SEX OFFEN-
    3  DER, A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SEX OFFENDER AND APPROXIMATE ADDRESS  BASED  ON
    4  THE  SEX  OFFENDER'S  ZIP  CODE  SHALL ALSO BE PROVIDED IN THE DIRECTORY
    5  ESTABLISHED IN THIS ARTICLE.
    6    (b) If the risk of repeat offense is moderate, a level two designation
    7  shall be given to such sex offender. In such case  the  law  enforcement
    8  agency or agencies having jurisdiction and the law enforcement agency or
    9  agencies  having  had  jurisdiction at the time of his or her conviction
   10  shall be notified and may disseminate relevant information  which  shall
   11  include  a  photograph  and  description  of  the offender and which may
   12  include the exact name and any aliases used by the sex  offender,  exact
   13  address,  background  information  including  the  offender's  crime  of
   14  conviction, mode of operation, type of victim  targeted,  the  name  and
   15  address of any institution of higher education at which the sex offender
   16  is  enrolled,  attends,  is  employed  or resides and the description of
   17  special conditions imposed on the offender to any entity with vulnerable
   18  populations related to the nature of the offense committed by  such  sex
   19  offender.  Any  entity  receiving  information  on  a  sex  offender may
   20  disclose or further disseminate such information at its  discretion.  In
   21  addition, in such case, the information described [herein] IN THIS PARA-
   22  GRAPH shall also be provided in the [subdirectory] DIRECTORY established
   23  in  this  article  and  notwithstanding any other provision of law, such
   24  information shall, upon request, be made available to the public.
   25    Such law enforcement agencies shall compile,  maintain  and  update  a
   26  listing  of  vulnerable organizational entities within its jurisdiction.
   27  Such listing shall be utilized for notification of such organizations in
   28  disseminating such information on level two sex  offenders  pursuant  to
   29  this  paragraph.  Such  listing  shall  include  and  not be limited to:
   30  superintendents of schools or chief school  administrators,  superinten-
   31  dents  of parks, public and private libraries, public and private school
   32  bus transportation companies, day care centers,  nursery  schools,  pre-
   33  schools,  neighborhood  watch  groups,  community centers, civic associ-
   34  ations, nursing homes, victim's advocacy groups and places of worship.
   35    (c) If the risk of repeat offense is high and there exists a threat to
   36  the public safety a level three designation shall be given to  such  sex
   37  offender.  In  such  case, the law enforcement agency or agencies having
   38  jurisdiction and the law  enforcement  agency  or  agencies  having  had
   39  jurisdiction  at the time of his or her conviction shall be notified and
   40  may disseminate relevant information which shall  include  a  photograph
   41  and description of the offender and which may include the sex offender's
   42  exact  name and any aliases used by the offender, exact address, address
   43  of the offender's place of employment, background information  including
   44  the  offender's  crime  of conviction, mode of operation, type of victim
   45  targeted, the name and address of any institution of higher education at
   46  which the sex offender is enrolled, attends, is employed or resides  and
   47  the  description  of  special  conditions imposed on the offender to any
   48  entity with vulnerable populations related to the nature of the  offense
   49  committed  by  such  sex offender. Any entity receiving information on a
   50  sex offender may disclose or further disseminate such information at its
   51  discretion. In addition, in such case, the information described  [here-
   52  in]  IN  THIS  PARAGRAPH  shall  also  be provided in the [subdirectory]
   53  DIRECTORY established in this  article  and  notwithstanding  any  other
   54  provision  of  law, such information shall, upon request, be made avail-
   55  able to the public.
       A. 2649                             3
    1    Such law enforcement agencies shall compile,  maintain  and  update  a
    2  listing  of  vulnerable organizational entities within its jurisdiction.
    3  Such listing shall be utilized for notification of such organizations in
    4  disseminating such information on level three sex offenders pursuant  to
    5  this  paragraph.  Such  listing  shall  include  and  not be limited to:
    6  superintendents of schools or chief school  administrators,  superinten-
    7  dents  of parks, public and private libraries, public and private school
    8  bus transportation companies, day care centers,  nursery  schools,  pre-
    9  schools,  neighborhood  watch  groups,  community centers, civic associ-
   10  ations, nursing homes, victim's advocacy groups and places of worship.
   11    S 3. Section 168-q of the correction law, as added by chapter  192  of
   12  the  laws  of 1995, the section heading as amended by chapter 106 of the
   13  laws of 2006, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 532  of  the  laws  of
   14  2011, is amended to read as follows:
   15    S  168-q. [Subdirectory] DIRECTORY; internet posting.  1. The division
   16  shall maintain a [subdirectory of level two and three] DIRECTORY OF  sex
   17  offenders[. The subdirectory] WHICH SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES
   18  ON THE INTERNET VIA THE DIVISION HOMEPAGE FOR PURPOSES OF PUBLIC ACCESS.
   19    (A)  IN  THE  CASE  OF  A  SEX OFFENDER WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN A LEVEL ONE
   20  DESIGNATION, THE DIRECTORY SHALL INCLUDE THE NAME OF THE SEX OFFENDER, A
   21  PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SEX OFFENDER AND APPROXIMATE ADDRESS BASED ON THE  SEX
   22  OFFENDER'S ZIP CODE.
   23    (B)  IN  THE  CASE OF A SEX OFFENDER WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN A LEVEL TWO OR
   24  THREE DESIGNATION,  THE  DIRECTORY  shall  include  the  exact  address,
   25  address  of the offender's place of employment and photograph of the sex
   26  offender along with the following information, if available: name, phys-
   27  ical description, age and distinctive markings.  Background  information
   28  including  the  sex  offender's crime of conviction, modus of operation,
   29  type of victim targeted, the name and  address  of  any  institution  of
   30  higher  education  at  which  the  sex offender is enrolled, attends, is
   31  employed or resides and a description of special conditions  imposed  on
   32  the  sex  offender  shall also be included. [The subdirectory shall have
   33  sex offender listings categorized by county and zip code. Such subdirec-
   34  tory shall be made available at all times on the internet via the  divi-
   35  sion homepage. Any person may apply to the division to receive automated
   36  e-mail notifications whenever a new or updated subdirectory registration
   37  occurs in a geographic area specified by such person. The division shall
   38  furnish  such  service  at  no  charge to such person, who shall request
   39  e-mail notification by county and/or zip code  on  forms  developed  and
   40  provided  by  the  division.  E-mail  notification  is  limited to three
   41  geographic areas per e-mail account.]
   42    (C) THE DIVISION SHALL, ON ITS INTERNET HOMEPAGE, PROVIDE A MEANS  FOR
   43  ANY  PERSON  TO  REGISTER  TO RECEIVE NOTICE AT SUCH PERSON'S ELECTRONIC
   44  MAIL ADDRESS OF ALL SEX OFFENDERS WHO  RESIDE  OR  MOVE  INTO  THE  AREA
   45  ENCOMPASSED BY SUCH PERSON'S ZIP CODE. THE DIVISION SHALL PROVIDE TIMELY
   46  NOTICE  BY ELECTRONIC MAIL TO EACH PERSON WHO REGISTERS PURSUANT TO THIS
   47  PARAGRAPH OF EVERY SEX OFFENDER RESIDING IN AND OF  EVERY  SEX  OFFENDER
   48  WHO  MOVES  INTO  THE  PERSON'S  ZIP CODE. SUCH NOTICE SHALL INCLUDE ALL
   49  INFORMATION AUTHORIZED TO BE DISCLOSED ON EACH SUCH SEX OFFENDER  PURSU-
   50  ANT TO PARAGRAPH (A) OR (B) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   51    2.  Any person who uses information disclosed pursuant to this section
   52  in violation of the law shall in addition to any other penalty  or  fine
   53  imposed,  be subject to a fine of not less than five hundred dollars and
   54  not more than one thousand dollars. [Unauthorized removal or duplication
   55  of the subdirectory from the offices of local, village  or  city  police
   56  department  shall  be  punishable  by  a fine not to exceed one thousand
       A. 2649                             4
    1  dollars.] In addition, the attorney general, any district  attorney,  or
    2  any person aggrieved is authorized to bring a civil action in the appro-
    3  priate  court requesting preventive relief, including an application for
    4  a  permanent  or temporary injunction, restraining order, or other order
    5  against the person or group of persons responsible for such action.  The
    6  foregoing  remedies shall be independent of any other remedies or proce-
    7  dures that may be available to an aggrieved party under other provisions
    8  of law.
    9    S 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   10  it shall have become a law.
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