By Dana Williams
³Thieves should not have easy access to the personal material of our residents,² he said. If enacted, the law would make it illegal to search through a closed garbage can.
The idea came to Panzarella, he explained, after several residents complained that they had to chase away strangers trying to dig through their refuse. ³In my view, a homeowner is entitled to reasonably expect that the container and trash therein will be removed from his property only by those authorized to do so,² Panzarella said, adding that he believes that trash does not constitute abandoned property, available to anyone who wants to search through it.
In 2005, there were 9.3 million adult victims of identity theft in the U.S., according to the Web site of Identity Theft America, an identity theft recovery program. ³Identity theft has claimed more than 27 million victims in America in the last five years,² said Lanny Britnell, a director of the program. ³Any law designed to deter identity theft is one step in the right direction.²
Panzarella modeled the proposed law after the Village of Lake Grove¹s Privacy in Garbage and Litter law, which was passed last October. Rummaging through a garbage can, also known as dumpster diving, is one of the most common ways that identity thieves gain access to an individual¹s personal information, according to Britnell.
The proposed law applies only to garbage that is inside a closed garbage can. ³There is an expectation of privacy that people have when they have a lid on their garbage cans,² said Dr. Tara Thomson, executive director of the Nassau County chapter of the New York American Civil Liberties Union. Law enforcement officers looking for evidence in criminal investigations are the only people the law does not apply to, the mayor said.
Even if the garbage privacy law is passed, Panzarella said, he still recommends that people shred their credit card and bank statements and other personal documents before throwing them away. ³Everyone has to remember that a thief will always find a way to get what he wants,² Britnell added. ³By guarding their personal information carefully, people can reduce the likelihood of becoming an identity theft victim.²
The mayor is hoping to hold a public hearing on the proposed law. If such a measure were to be passed, it would be the first law of its kind in Nassau County.
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