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NY - Rockland ruling on sex offenders could affect LI

View the article here 01/27/2009 BY ERIK GERMAN A judge's decision overturning a Rockland County law restricting where sex offenders live could affect dozens of similar laws statewide - including many on Long Island, where municipalities have rushed to enact tough residency legislation over the last few years. In a decision Friday, State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly said local residency rules are superseded by New York State law, which specifically empowers local probation officers to decide where to place sex offenders in communities. "'Not in my backyard' residency restrictions are spreading unchecked through county, town and village ordinance books from Suffolk County to Niagara Falls," Kelly wrote. While the Rockland court holds no sway over other counties, legal experts said the ruling's impact could spread if the matter is upheld in higher court, or if judges in other jurisdictions adopt Kelly's reasoning...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sex Offender Issues on January 27, 2009 (boomark / email).