Senator Murphy hosts sex offender round-table focused on updating Megan's Law

YORKTOWN, NY - The arrest on March 28th of a level 2 sex offender in Ossining for possession of child pornography marked the second consecutive week a dangerous sex offender had been apprehended for trolling the internet to prey on new victims. The week before, a level 3 offender living in Katonah had been arrested for allegedly convincing a 14-year-old North Carolina girl to send him sexually explicit videos and photos.

In response to these heinous acts, and as part of his ongoing mission to make the Hudson Valley a safer place to live, Senator Murphy hosted a roundtable discussion at Yorktown Town Hall with elected officials, advocacy groups and law enforcement representatives to discuss updating Megan's Law and other legislation to protect children.

"The digital age has been a boon for sexual predators. They can have instant access to a potential victim with the press of a button," Senator Murphy said. "The first step in protecting our children is to be informed. The roundtable discussion provided us with a valuable avenue for exchanging important information about sexual predators and how we can stop them from preying on our kids."

Assemblyman Kevin Byrne commented, "Thank you Senator Murphy for hosting this event and giving this important issue the attention it deserves. We are heading in the right direction, and can make a difference if we all work together on this issue."

"This is an issue that is long overdue to be addressed and re-evaluated," said County Legislator John Testa. "It has become a focal point in every community. I appreciate Senator Murphy's efforts to bring together a wide cross-section of the community to pool our ideas to help tighten up laws and regulations governing the actions of sex offenders."

"Thank you, Senator Murphy, for organizing putting this roundtable meeting together. This was a very productive meeting, and it was great to see everyone working together to solve this problem," said Yorktown Town Supervisor Michael Grace. "I am committed to dedicating town resources to solve this issue, and look forward to working with surrounding towns and municipalities to combat this issue together."

"I am one hundred percent behind the effort to make our children safe," said Somers Town Supervisor Rick Morrissey. "Our children are our most precious resource and we must do all we can to protect them."

Yorktown Councilman Ed Lachterman added, "I was happy to participate in helping Senator Murphy and Assemblyman Byrne fight this battle to make our children safe. As a Dad I understand the importance of protecting our children as well as educating them."

"We are all grateful that Senator Murphy had the foresight to be on the front lines of protecting our residents against predicate sexual offenders by soliciting opinions form this panel," said Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble. "New and innovative ideas were developed that could potentially strengthen existing laws or enact new laws to protect everyone against sexual offenders."

Captain Bruce Donnelly, President of the Westchester County Superior Officers Association, said, "Law enforcement and legislators have a responsibility to keep citizens safe from sexual predators. Megan's Law is a resource that helps us do just that, however this law has to be updated to keep up with today's technology."