Joseph A. Griffo > TRACKING DOWN MISSING SEX OFFENDERS

Thursday, August 21, 2008

New York State Senator
Joseph A. Griffo	47th Senate District

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TRACKING DOWN MISSING SEX OFFENDERS

As recently reported in the media, the whereabouts of over 1000 convicted sex offenders are unaccountable. We cannot allow these predators who have failed to comply with address verification requirements to simply drop off the radar screen and roam our streets. That is why I advanced a three step strategy to immediately address this public safety scandal, and I am calling on Governor Spitzer to implement these steps within the next sixty days.

My three point plan would:

1. Establish New NYSAFE Office (The New York Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement Office)
The proposal calls on the Governor to immediately establish a new investigative unit – the NYSAFE Office – within the Division of Criminal Justice Services that would be focused solely on tracking the location of registered sex offenders; verifying residency compliance; and notifying the public when a sex offender’s whereabouts can no longer be determined.

2. Create new Missing Sex Offender web site
The NYSAFE Office would work with local law enforcement agencies to track down and verify the residency compliance of registered sex offenders. When an individual’s whereabouts can no longer be determined, the NYSAFE Office will be required to immediately post the offender information on a new DCJS Missing Sex Offender web site until such time that the offender is located and complies with the law. This web site would be similar to New York’s "100 Most Wanted" web site, which has proven to be a highly successful law enforcement tool that has helped identify and apprehend more than 100 violent criminals statewide.

Making similar information available about missing sex offenders would accomplish two key objectives: first, it would enable parents and concerned citizens across the State to quickly ascertain whether the new neighbor down the hall or across the street may be a sex offender who is trying to hide his whereabouts from authorities. And second, it would serve to heighten the visibility of offenders who continue to move in violation of residency requirements, thereby assisting law enforcement officials from across the State in identifying and apprehending these individuals.

3. Create the PREDATOR Alert System
(PREDATOR - Protect, Deter, Alert, Track, and Report System)
The third element calls for the State Police establish a new PREDATOR Alert System – patterned after the highly successful AMBER Alert system – that would immediately alert local law enforcement agencies and the media of missing registered level three sexual predators. Currently, when a child goes missing, an AMBER Alert is immediately sent out around the State, and at times, around the country. However, when a level three sexual predator goes missing, law enforcement officials issue a warrant for the offenders arrest, but members of the public are often left in the dark and in danger.

Having such an effective and widespread information sharing system would increase the likelihood that sex offenders could be efficiently tracked, protecting innocent people. Additionally, high profile information sharing would provide a deterrent effect to sex offenders who might otherwise try to avoid their legal obligations to report their whereabouts.

I am committed to protecting our families and preserving the safety of our communities. This three point plan, in combination with our new civil confinement agreement and statewide crackdown on Internet predators, will ensure New York is victorious in the fight against sex offenders.

Sincerely,

Senator Joseph A. Griffo

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