Serino Protects Communities From Convicted Sex Offenders

SERINO PROTECTS COMMUNITIES FROM CONVICTED SEX OFFENDERS

ALBANY—Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park) announced today that her bill aimed at protecting communities from convicted sex offenders passed in the Senate.

Senator Serino’s bill, S. 4339, would prohibit an individual who is a convicted sex offender from working or volunteering in a position where they would have unsupervised access to a residential living quarters as in the cases of building superintendents, maintenance workers, doormen and the like.

“This bill is absolutely a matter of public protection,” Senator Serino said. “The idea of a convicted sex offender having unfettered and unsupervised access to residential properties is dumbfounding. It flies in the face of commonsense and leaves members of our communities unnecessarily vulnerable.”

The enactment of the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) armed communities with vital information by requiring sex offenders to register with the State, and to make information about offenders living in our neighborhoods public. It provided a vital tool for our communities to help our most vulnerable citizens protect themselves and their families.

While the law has provisions regarding residential prohibitions, employment prohibitions to provide necessary public protection are not as comprehensive. In fact, there are no prohibitions from hiring a registered sex offender and giving them unsupervised access to a person's home.

This loophole was highlighted in the media when it was discovered that a Level-3 sex offender was employed as a superintendent in a residential building in Manhattan. Employment as such actually allowed a convicted offender to possess keys to individual apartments.

While some occupations require a background check that would ultimately stop a convicted sex offender from gaining such employment, there are a variety that do not and as a result leave individuals vulnerable.

“I think it’s safe to say that most New Yorkers do not even realize that such a dangerous loophole exists and too often assume that they are safe within their own residences,” continued Serino. “New Yorkers deserve to feel a sense of security behind their own, locked doors and I hope my colleagues in the Assembly will see the need to act on this legislation before any other innocent person is victimized by a convicted sex offender.”

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