There is a saying that knowledge is power, and when it comes to information about the dangers that surround us each and every day no truer statement has ever been uttered.
That is why I am pleased to announce state senate approval of Brittany’s Law.
Brittany’s Law is named for 12 year old Brittany Passa-lacqua. In 2009, in Geneva, New York, Brittany, and her mother, Helen Buchel were murdered in their home by Helen’s boyfriend.
It was later learned that the murderer was a violent convicted felon, John Edward Brown, who had been released from prison after serving 2.5 years of a three year sentence for assaulting his infant daughter.
Neither Brittany nor Helen knew of their killer’s violent criminal background, if they had, they would have never associated with him, and they would still be alive today.
The goal of Brittany’s Law is to make sure individuals who have been convicted of a violent felony can’t slip unsuspectingly into a family’s home.
Instead, such criminals will be required to register with a statewide violent felony offender registry through the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services.
The violent felony offender registry would be similar to the New York State Sex Offender Registry.
Offenders would be required to register once released from prison and must re-register annually.
Information about the offenders would be compiled in the database and available to the general public and police agencies.
Other states have established a violent felony offender registry, including Montana, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
Alerting individuals to a violent criminal’s past is a crucial crime prevention step because many become repeat offenders.
Brittany’s grandmother Dale Driscoll has been leading the fight to establish a violent felony offender registry in honor of her daughter and granddaughter.
“Nothing can ever bring Helen or Brittany back, but if this legislation prevents another family from suffering the heartbreak that we have been through, my daughter and granddaughter will not have died in vain.”
This is not the first time I have sought stronger laws to protect individuals from violent criminals.
In the past I have supported numerous measures to update laws and close loopholes to allow detection and prosecution of sexual offenders, child predators, and the like.
I have also fought for, and won approval, of laws to protect our elderly from violent criminals. Thanks to legislation I co-sponsored, New York now has tough penalties to punish anyone who attacks a senior citizen.
The law, established in 2008, elevates the assault of a person sixty-five years of age or older when the perpetrator is more than ten years younger than the victim to assault in the second degree, a class D violent felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
These laws provide important crime-fighting tools, act as deterrents and help make our state safer. I am proud to support them.
