By Mary Malloy
At Monday night's board meeting, Trustee Ed Sieban, chairman of the Recodification Committee, which drafted the law, said that Megan's Law has made the community aware of sex offenders. "This new local law takes Megan's Law to the next level by establishing a zone of safety and protection for our children that sex offenders cannot invade," Sieban said.
Mayor Joseph Carrigan said that under the new village law, sex offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of places where children are likely to congregate, such as schools, places of worship, day care centers, community centers, libraries, parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities. Additionally, the new law prevents one sex offender from living within 1,000 feet of another. This, Trustee Bruno Romano said, "will prevent the clustering [of sex offenders] that many other communities have experienced."
"The protection of our children is paramount," Carrigan said. "This new local law is a positive step to ensure the safety and welfare of our children -- although I hope it never comes into play."
The New York State Sex Offender Registration Act, better known as Megan's Law, was signed in 1995. It requires convicted sexual predators to register their whereabouts when they are released into the community. The information is made available to the public via the New York State Sex Offenders Registry, which is maintained by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. It allows parents and others to learn if a high-risk offender is living in their neighborhood.
The law requires that Level 3 sex offenders remain on the Sex Offender Registry for life; that Level 2 sex offenders remain on registry for life, but could petition a court to be removed from the Registry after 30 years; and that Level 1 sex offenders would remain on the Registry for 20 years.
"Although Megan's Law requires offenders to register, it does not restrict where a sex offender can live," explained Jessica Scaperotti, spokeswomen for the criminal justice division. "There is no state law to that effect."
"Residency restriction laws are a natural extension of Megan's Law," said Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law, a nationwide, non-for-profit victims rights organization. "While these laws won't eliminate child sexual abuse, they will certainly reduce the potential for sexual victimization by restricting a sex offender's access to possible child victims."
A Nassau County law went into effect this year that prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools or within 500 feet of parks. "I am in favor of being proactive with this," said Legislator Francis X. Becker (R-Lynbrook). "The biggest problem is that the repeat offense rate is extremely high, so we have to be observant and proactive with this." This law is one of the strictest in New York state.
"This law will serve as an excellent companion law to Megan's Law," said Legislator Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin), "as it addresses gaps in the state statute that allows offenders to move dangerously close to areas where children are regularly found in large numbers." The law does not apply to those who established residences prior to April 15, 2006.
A recent review of the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Web site revealed that as of today, there are no sex offenders residing in East Rockaway.
That is a consolation for parents, but East Rockaway resident Sue Torborg, a mother of four, voiced concern that there is a registered sex offender living in Oceanside, not far from East Rockaway. "Other towns are very close to ours," Torborg said. "But I do think this is a good law. We need to protect our kids and come together as a community. We need to establish a safe environment for our children, and teach them about stranger danger."
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