The dangers of being a firefighter. Some are obvious. And others, not so much. That’s why the New York State Firemen’s Association is fighting to prevent what it claims is a danger of a different kind. Convicted sex offenders volunteering as firefighters. “Current labor law does give certain considerations and prohibits sex offenders from working in positions similar to firefighters that are entrusted with people’s safety and well-being. And so we just want some parity brought into our field,” said Andrew Maracco, FASNY lobbyist. Hundreds of firefighters and emergency responders are pushing…
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NY:15 sex offenders charged with unregistered email accounts
Fifteen registered sex offenders were arrested this week for allegedly using email accounts on social networking sites like Facebook without first registering those accounts with the state Sex Offender Registry, officials announced Thursday. Under E-Stop legislation passed in 2008, these Oneida County sex offenders were charged with felonies and issued tickets to appear in Whitestown Town Court following a sweep by the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, New York State Police, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Kirkland, Utica and Rome. While the arrests do not suggest…
Read MoreNY: I Got Myself Arrested So I Could Look Inside the Justice System
Ten years ago, when I started my career as an assistant district attorney in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, I viewed the American criminal justice system as a vital institution that protected society from dangerous people. I once prosecuted a man for brutally attacking his wife with a flashlight, and another for sexually assaulting a waitress at a nightclub. I believed in the system for good reason. But in between the important cases, I found myself spending most of my time prosecuting people of color for things we white kids…
Read MoreNY: County outsources sex offender monitoring to advocacy group
… Suffolk County on Long Island allows a victims’ advocacy group, Parents of Megan’s Law, to monitor sex offenders. The measure was approved unanimously in February of this year and is being heralded by lawmakers as a cost-effective way to keep the community safe. Parents for Megan’s Law is a nonprofit organization that will receive close to $1 million a year to implement the new sex offender monitoring law. The employees who undertake the monitoring of sex offenders are civilians. Full Article
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