NY - Registry won't make us all safer

Placebo

Original Article

05/15/2014

The problem with feel-good public safety initiatives like the proposed Violent Offenders Registry is that they lull us into a false sense that we're doing something legitimate to protect ourselves from harm.

The state Legislature, once again borrowing from a tragedy involving a child, has proposed setting up a list of people who've served time for violent crimes. The bill, dubbed "Brittany's Law," is similar in design and purpose to the sex offender registries that became popular two decades ago.

Like the state’s 18-year-old sex offender registry, this bill would require violent felons to register with the state. Those subject to registration would be anyone convicted under the "violent offender" section of state Penal Law -- which covers such crimes as murders, assaults, kidnappings, terrorism and gang violence.

The information available to the public from the registry could include the person's name, address, photo and information about the crime he or she committed. How much information that would be available on each subject would be determined by ranking, again similar to sex offender registries, based on a subjective determination of the felon's propensity to commit more violent crimes, with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 3 the highest.

The crime upon which this bill is based is the 2009 murder of 12 year-old Brittany Passalacqua and her mother, Helen Buchel. Their killer, John Edward Brown, was on early release from prison after serving most of a 3-year sentence for violently assaulting his infant daughter.

Supporters of the registry claim Brittany's Law could have prevented their deaths by alerting the victims to the presence of a killer living among them.

It's true, it would be nice to know when a violent felon, like a sex offender, is living in the neighborhood. But in reality, how many of us regularly check the lists to find out? The new registry wouldn’t take into consideration the fact that many violent crimes are committed by people under duress, or influenced by alcohol and other circumstances that might be precipitated by a single incident. In other words, a lot of violent people in your neighborhood, just like people with a propensity to abuse children or commit sexual assaults, wouldn't necessarily appear on this list unless they’d been caught and convicted. The registry also doesn't take into consideration the fact that most victims of sexual or domestic violence already know their assailants. So how extra-safe would this list really make the rest of us?

Several studies conducted over the years have questioned the effectiveness of such registries in preventing sex crimes, while other studies have challenged the validity of the recidivism rankings in assessing individuals’ propensity to repeat their crimes. Some studies have found that registries compel offenders to get treatment and behave themselves, while others have shown being on the list stresses out some offenders, drives them into hiding, discourages them from getting treatment and/or compels them to commit more crimes.

The registries do often allow police to keep better tabs on individuals with criminal backgrounds, which could lead to quicker identification of suspects in new crimes. But knowing someone's address doesn't mean their whereabouts is known 24 hours a day, to police or potential victims.

There's also the question of whether a person should be subject to registration after they've served their sentence. Even when a person is off the list, either by timing out or having their conviction overturned, the Internet would make their listing a permanent one.

For police and certain victims of violence, having a registry of violent offenders could provide a useful tool. So it's probably not a bad thing for the Legislature to set up.

But for most of us, it might make us feel like we're a little safer. But actually, we're all still just as safe ... and all still just as vulnerable.

GUAM - Offender list to go public: Registry to list repeat family violence offenders

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez

Original Article

04/03/2014

By Cameron Miculka

A registry aimed at providing Guamanians with a list of repeat family violence offenders is scheduled to launch next week.

Carlina Charfauros, spokeswoman for the Office of the Attorney General, said the registry will be launched Monday.

A press conference about the registry is scheduled for the same day.

According to a 2011 law, the Office of the Attorney General is required to keep a database of those convicted of at least two family violence offenses.

The law was created through a bill introduced by Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, D-Dededo.

The registry has been in the works for close to three years, but stalled several times due to a lack of staffing and resources.

Charfauros said yesterday that the AG's office has been able to divert some resources from within the office to get the registry online.

Rather than hiring staff exclusively to set up the registry, she said, the office was able to use its interns and has "drawn from other divisions to get this registry up and running."

Charfauros said the registry will be retroactive to 2011, the year the bill became law.

That means that anyone who has had two family violence convictions during or after 2011 -- or had one family violence conviction before 2011 and a second one during or after 2011 -- will appear on the registry. In some cases, such as if a crime involves a deadly weapon, a person can be placed on the registry for a first offense.

In cases where one of those convictions is expunged, the offender can be removed from the registry. The law also provides an avenue for those on the list to petition for removal.

Charfauros said the registry was set up without any funding outside of the AG's budget.

She said the only future anticipated costs would be associated with software upgrades.

Charfauros said the registry is something her office hopes is used by the entire island. "We want everybody to utilize it," she said.

Rodriguez said yesterday he was "very thankful for the AG and his people."

The senator said he hopes the registry protects people from abusers by providing them with access to the knowledge of who the repeat offenders are in Guam. "I think it's a step in the right direction," he said.

Both Charfauros and Rodriguez said the registry will be useful for people starting relationships.

"It's targeted for people who might not know who they're getting into a relationship with," said Rodriguez.

The two also said that they don't anticipate the registry to lead to harassment or vigilante action against those who appear on the list.

Rodriguez said that the island's sex offender registry performs a similar role on the island and that he hasn't seen any violence directed at sex offenders on that list. "That's not the intent of this," he said.
- Doesn't mean it won't happen.  Vigilantism of those on the sex offender registry is a problem in the USA so I assume it will be in Guam as well since it's a US state.  Why don't we have an online registry for all ex-felons?

Charfauros noted that the law expressly forbids the use of the registry to stalk or harass people on it.

UT - POST Council sanctions 12 officers, 2 dispatchers

Brandon Haws (Right)

Original Article

03/27/2014

By Geoff Liesik

SANTA CLARA - The council responsible for disciplining wayward Utah peace officers meted out sanctions in 14 cases Thursday, including the case of a former school resource officer who sent inappropriate photos to a teenage boy.

Lindsay Jarvis, attorney for former St. George police officer Brandon Haws, told the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council that her client's involvement with the 17-year-old began out of a desire to help the boy.

"Mr. Haws lost his father at 4 years old," Jarvis said. "This particular student had lost his father in a car accident. Mr. Haws, with his position, attempted to act as a mentor or big brother to this student."

The officer and the student began exchanging text messages, sharing photos and communicating through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

"That interaction became inappropriate, quite frankly," Jarvis said.

But she also pointed out that an internal affairs investigation showed Haws was not trying to develop a sexual relationship with the teen. Instead, the officer made a mistake and "started acting like a teenager," the attorney argued.

Haws also addressed the council, asking that its members not strip him of his police certification — a sanction that would forever bar him from working in law enforcement in Utah.

"I have lived my entire life in order to be a police officer," Haws said. "I'm not here to have a pity party. I want to take accountability for what I did. I will say though that I don't think it meets the standard of revocation."

Haws admitted he sent the lewd photos when questioned Thursday by Utah Highway Patrol Col. Daniel Fuhr, a member of the POST Council. Shortly after that admission, the council voted unanimously to revoke Haws' certification for life.

The council also voted to revoke the certification of former Utah County sheriff's deputy William M. Barney for having a sexual relationship with a female probationer.

Council members approved lesser sanctions in 12 other cases.

Former St. George police officer Rick B. Goulding had his certification suspended for three years for engaging in sexual activity while on duty.

Christopher Schoenfeld, a former deputy with the Summit County Sheriff's Office, had his certification suspended for two years for willfully falsifying his application for certification.

Former Garfield County sheriff's deputy Cache Miller also had his certification revoked for two years for assaulting his wife in the presence of their children.

Wayne County sheriff's deputy Craig W. Brown and Unified Police Department dispatcher Chastity T. Corona each had their certifications suspended for 18 months for DUI.

The council suspended former Utah Department of Corrections officer Randall Scott Hall's certification for 15 months for theft and disorderly conduct.

One-year suspensions were handed down to former Springville police officer Nathan N. Brimhall for falsifying a police report, and to former UHP trooper Jon Gardner for a DUI arrest in Colorado that happened before he retired.

Sunset police officer Brian Kirby's certification was suspended for three months for a trespassing incident.

South Salt Lake police officers Anita Bench and Eric R. Jensen each received letters of caution for accessing the state Bureau of Criminal Identification database for unauthorized purposes. The council also issued a letter of caution to Makette Morgan, a dispatcher with the Utah Department of Public Safety, who slapped her former husband's face during a domestic dispute.

Lt. Al Acosta, who heads up POST's investigative unit, said Thursday that his staff received 176 reports of alleged misconduct by officers in 2013. From those reports, 108 cases were opened.

POST Director Scott Stephenson acknowledged that's "an upward trend" from what the agency has seen in past years.

"Just like with anything, there are peaks and valleys," Stephenson said. "These are tough situations. We're dealing with people and their lives. These are never easy things. This is the ugly side of my job."

Less than 1 percent of Utah's nearly 9,000 peace officers ever become the subject of a POST misconduct investigation, the director noted.

KY - Governor Introduces Legislation For Adult Abuse Registry

Gov. Steve Beshear

Original Article

02/20/2014

Thousands of disabled and elderly patients are abused every year and many of them don't have a voice.

A push for change in Kentucky brings new legislation introduced by Gov. Steve Beshear aimed at protecting them.

Previous cases will not be added to the list but the legislation is a personal victory for Crystal Johnston.

Johnston, whose disabled son is now 23 years old, was abused when he was 18. She said she didn't think this day would come.

"He appropriated money last year and we couldn't get legislation passed," Johnston said. "We thought we lost the opportunity so we were really thrilled the money was still there and we could get this legislation."

Similar to a sex offender registry, the adult abuse registry will be an online tool for licensed providers and anyone seeking care for loves ones.
- When are we going to stop cherry-picking who goes on an online shaming list and put all ex-felons online?  If it's okay for one group then it should be done across the board so we know all the criminals living around us.