"Sex Offenders Reform Law:" The Whole Story and YOUR Reactions
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: August 3, 2012
It was a sickening crime Central New Yorkers may never forget, the rape
and murder of Linda Turner by serial rapist Robert Blainey. Today
Governor Cuomo signed legislation into law to better protect New Yorkers
from sex offenders like Blainey by strengthening the state's civil
procedures.
Off the top tonight, Eyewitness News reporter Rachel Polansky has an in-depth report on community members who are both for and against the new law. She joins us live the newsroom, Rachel?
The new law is designed to prevent similar horrific crimes from happening in the future. Now this proposal has been in the works for quite some time and eyewitness news wants to show you every angle. In this in-depth report, you'll hear from supporters and opponents of the new law - and those involved in getting the bill passed.
"Well I was a victim when I was a kid. I believe it's great. Sex offenders should have to go through anything and everything to keep the streets safe and my kids safe and everybody's kids safe," says Crystal Rios, Utica resident.
"I have 15 grandkids and it scares me to no end that these kids play outside and any moment someone can walk by and grab them," says John Polchinski, Utica resident.
The goal of this new law is keeping sex offenders off the street when they pose a threat to society, and some community members say they already feel safer
"We'll have more peace that these guys are supervised to the point we don't have to worry about our children that much- i keep my eye on my children, I don't let them out of my sight," says Donna Zurek, Utica resident.
"Make our neighborhoods safer, make our children safer," says Polchinski.
The first part of the law authorizes officials to update photos of high-risk sexual offenders every 90 days. Zrek was a neighbor of Robert Blainey's and she says this law could have made a difference.
"He lived up the street from me on rutger street and we never realized it. How are we supposed to know who he is? When you see the picture in the 80s compared to the picture when they caught him, you would have never known it was the same person," says Zurek.
Now although it's too late to save Linda Turner, the new law is designed to prevent similar horrific crimes from happening in the future. And Senator Joe Griffo says the murder was a driving force behind the passing of the new law.
"This was a horrific crime and so unfortunate so we're hopeful that this will be the steps we promised we would take to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else," says Senator Griffo.
Griffo says the reform will..
"Require updated photos of level 3 sexual predators and also, allow for forced sharing of information verbatim testimony from various agencies," says Senator Griffo.
Now Eyewitness News received mostly positive reactions, but one woman looks at the law in a different light.
"Well I am in a relationship with somebody who is a registered sex offender. I mean it never occured to me like oh my god he's a child molestor, or oh my god, I don't wanna be friends with him," says Shana Rowan, activist endsexcrime.org
Shana Rowan is engaged to a level 2 registered sex offender. But their story is different than most. Shana's fiancee committed his crimes as a child, but was tried and sentenced as an adult. Despite this, she says most of society can't look past the words "sex offender" on the registry.
"When you look at the registry, it doesn't give you all the information and i think that's big problem. You probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference really between my fiancee and someone like a Robert Blaney," says Rowan.
Rowan says it becomes nearly impossible for former offenders to assimilate back into community again - but still- some community members don't want to see past their history.
"They should be hit hard because they're victims were hit hard. Their life was destroyed. They should be disciplined, they should have to do all this, they should have to do more than this because that's how often this happens to young girls out here," says Rios.
Governor Cuomo says the bill will help officials make informed judgments about sex offenders who pose a threat to society. And the law will take effect in 30 days.
Off the top tonight, Eyewitness News reporter Rachel Polansky has an in-depth report on community members who are both for and against the new law. She joins us live the newsroom, Rachel?
The new law is designed to prevent similar horrific crimes from happening in the future. Now this proposal has been in the works for quite some time and eyewitness news wants to show you every angle. In this in-depth report, you'll hear from supporters and opponents of the new law - and those involved in getting the bill passed.
"Well I was a victim when I was a kid. I believe it's great. Sex offenders should have to go through anything and everything to keep the streets safe and my kids safe and everybody's kids safe," says Crystal Rios, Utica resident.
"I have 15 grandkids and it scares me to no end that these kids play outside and any moment someone can walk by and grab them," says John Polchinski, Utica resident.
The goal of this new law is keeping sex offenders off the street when they pose a threat to society, and some community members say they already feel safer
"We'll have more peace that these guys are supervised to the point we don't have to worry about our children that much- i keep my eye on my children, I don't let them out of my sight," says Donna Zurek, Utica resident.
"Make our neighborhoods safer, make our children safer," says Polchinski.
The first part of the law authorizes officials to update photos of high-risk sexual offenders every 90 days. Zrek was a neighbor of Robert Blainey's and she says this law could have made a difference.
"He lived up the street from me on rutger street and we never realized it. How are we supposed to know who he is? When you see the picture in the 80s compared to the picture when they caught him, you would have never known it was the same person," says Zurek.
Now although it's too late to save Linda Turner, the new law is designed to prevent similar horrific crimes from happening in the future. And Senator Joe Griffo says the murder was a driving force behind the passing of the new law.
"This was a horrific crime and so unfortunate so we're hopeful that this will be the steps we promised we would take to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else," says Senator Griffo.
Griffo says the reform will..
"Require updated photos of level 3 sexual predators and also, allow for forced sharing of information verbatim testimony from various agencies," says Senator Griffo.
Now Eyewitness News received mostly positive reactions, but one woman looks at the law in a different light.
"Well I am in a relationship with somebody who is a registered sex offender. I mean it never occured to me like oh my god he's a child molestor, or oh my god, I don't wanna be friends with him," says Shana Rowan, activist endsexcrime.org
Shana Rowan is engaged to a level 2 registered sex offender. But their story is different than most. Shana's fiancee committed his crimes as a child, but was tried and sentenced as an adult. Despite this, she says most of society can't look past the words "sex offender" on the registry.
"When you look at the registry, it doesn't give you all the information and i think that's big problem. You probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference really between my fiancee and someone like a Robert Blaney," says Rowan.
Rowan says it becomes nearly impossible for former offenders to assimilate back into community again - but still- some community members don't want to see past their history.
"They should be hit hard because they're victims were hit hard. Their life was destroyed. They should be disciplined, they should have to do all this, they should have to do more than this because that's how often this happens to young girls out here," says Rios.
Governor Cuomo says the bill will help officials make informed judgments about sex offenders who pose a threat to society. And the law will take effect in 30 days.
