ALBANY — Murderers, muggers and even simple barroom brawlers will find their names on the same kind of public listings now required for pedophiles, rapists and other pervs if the state Senate gets its way.
The Republican-controlled state Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to force violent felons to register their names and whereabouts annually with local law enforcement and on an Internet database accessible to the public.
The law would apply to anyone convicted of a crime classified as violent under current state law, ranging from murder to robbery to assault, and would last 10 years from release unless lifted by a court.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-Oneida), named the legislation “Brittany’s Law” after 12-year-old Brittany Passalacqua, who, with her mother, was killed in Geneva, NY, in 2009 by her mother’s boyfriend, John Edward Brown.
Brown was then out of prison on parole for previously assaulting his infant daughter. He was subsequently returned to prison to serve 40 years.
Brittany’s grandmother, Dale Driscoll, a leading advocate for the legislation, argues the registry would provide cops and potential victims crucial information to protect themselves from criminals.
Eight states — Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma and Nevada — have a similar requirement on the books. The bill passed 57-4 yesterday, with only four of the chamber’s 30 Democrats voting no.
It could face a hitch in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, where it is sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Spano (D-Yonkers). Assembly Codes Chairman Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn) said he favored hearings to determine whether such a law would prevent convicts from successfully returning to society after serving their time.
“It’s kind of a tough sanction,” said Lentol, who said he warned before the creation of the sex-offender registry in 1996 that the Legislature risked “opening the floodgates” to requiring registration for all crimes.
Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-Onondaga), however, contended that society should show “zero tolerance” for those who commit acts of violence.
“If you engage in violence, you’re going to have to bear the consequences,” he said.