Pols to reveal ZIP codes with most sex offenders

By ZACHARY R. DOWDY

State legislators Thursday will unveil what they called the 10 ZIP codes in Nassau and Suffolk that are home to the most sex offenders, a move designed to pressure Gov. David A. Paterson to sign into law a bill that would create a statewide e-mail alert program notifying people when a convicted sex offender moves into a neighborhood.

A similar service already is provided by a Stony Brook-based nonprofit organization, Parents for Megan’s Law, which also allows visitors to its Web site to map where offenders are located with thumbnails sketches complete with pictures.

Sens. Brian Foley (D-Islip), Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) and Jeffrey Klein, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, will join area school leaders and community advocates to release the ZIP codes at a news conference in Shirley.

The ZIP codes will contain Level 3 offenders, those deemed most likely to re-offend, and Level 2 offenders, those deemed by state evaluators to have a moderate likelihood of re-offending.

If Paterson signs the bill, the new law would allow residents who sign up to receive instant e-mail alerts when an offender moves into a ZIP code.

Megan’s Law is the measure that requires sex offenders to register their whereabouts with law enforcement authorities. It allows law enforcement authorities to release information about offenders based on their likelihood to re-offend. The higher an offender’s level, the more information authorities are allowed to release.

Last year, Parents for Megan’s Law used a $593,000 grant to build an e-mail alert system that allows users to receive alerts when a sex offender moves into a specific ZIP code on Long Island.

The group has since received state funding and expanded the program to operate statewide, allowing people who log onto the Web site, parentsformeganslaw.org, to keep tabs on the 29,000 sex offenders statewide and the 1,400 or so in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Laura Ahearn, executive director of the nonprofit organization, said her service also provides information on Level 1 offenders, which the state’s own Sex Offender registry does not.

By BY ZACHARY DOWDY
Posted Thursday, August 27, 2009

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