Senator Gallivan Sponsors Bill to Better Track State Transfer of Sex Offenders

LEGISLATION WOULD REQUIRE STATE TO NOTIFY LOCAL LEADERS   

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) is introducing legislation that would require New York State to notify a local municipality when a sex offender is transferred from a state facility to a community program or residence.

The bill would amend the mental hygiene law to require the Commissioner of the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to notify the chief executive officer of any municipality where a sex offender is transferred.  The superintendent of schools in which the facility is located must also be notified.

“The relocation of dangerous individuals to a residential neighborhood is always cause for concern.  Local officials have a right to know about the transfer of sex offenders into a community program or residence in their community so that they have time to properly address public concerns and security issues,” Gallivan said.

The legislation would require the Commissioner of OPWDD to notify local officials no later than ten calendar days prior to the transfer taking place.    

“Once notification is made, local officials will have the information necessary to appropriately respond to keep their community safe,” Gallivan said.

Earlier this year, the state placed several developmentally disabled sex offenders at state-owned group homes on Leydecker Road in the Town of West Seneca and in the Village of Scottsville in Monroe County after a state facility near Rochester was closed, catching the community off guard and raising concerns about public safety. 

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