X

Sen. Griffo supporting bills designed to protect children and people who work with them from sexual predators, violence

Posted 5/15/16

North Country State Senator Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, is supporting recent efforts by the state Senate to protect children and schools, as well as public employees who work with troubled youths. Griffo …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Sen. Griffo supporting bills designed to protect children and people who work with them from sexual predators, violence

Posted

North Country State Senator Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, is supporting recent efforts by the state Senate to protect children and schools, as well as public employees who work with troubled youths.

Griffo represents the 47th Senate District. It includes a swath running through the middle of St. Lawrence County, from Massena to Fine, including Potsdam.

Griffo, R-Rome, recently voted in support of the following legislation passed by the senate:

• S3212A: In New York State, modern technology is being used more and more by sexual predators to abuse and exploit child victims.

In one upstate community, the sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl was broadcast live over the internet while online viewers sent instant messages offering suggestions of additional sexual acts. This bill would create tougher felony-level penalties against those pedophiles who use internet technologies like instant messaging, e-mails and blogs to solicit or participate in the sexual exploitation of children.

“For all the good modern technology has to offer our society, the internet has also tragically given sexual predators greater opportunities to abuse and exploit vulnerable children within the shadows of cyberspace,” Senator Griffo said. “We owe it to our children to expose these sexual predators and to punish them as severely as possible.”

• S430A: Social media is being used more frequently to issue threats of mass violence against a school, which creates fear, disrupts school activities and puts immense strain on law enforcement. But unfortunately under current law, these acts do not often legally rise to the felony level because they do not specifically involve a “bomb threat.” This bill would expand existing laws so that any other types of mass violence threats – regardless of the implement threatened to be used – can be prosecuted as a class D felony. This measure includes all threats of intentional acts or continuing course of actions that would cause serious physical harm to 10 or more people on school grounds.

“As our schools have come to face increasing challenges in recent years, any threats of violence against our children and their teachers understandably can disrupt the learning environment, regardless of what is specifically threatened,” Griffo said. “A person should not only have to make a bomb threat in order to be dealt with severely. In today’s world of social media hysteria, where a single remark can lead hundreds of people to fear for their safety, any threat expressed against our schools must bring serious consequences.”

• S1974A: This bill would elevate to a felony offense any assault committed against an employee of a secure or limited secure residential facility licensed, certified and operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, such as the Taberg Residential Center for Girls in Oneida County. Unfortunately, brutal attacks against employees by youths who have been sentenced to these facilities are not uncommon, and far too often they result in serious injuries. Although current law provides enhances criminal assault penalties to protect police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency room workers and school employees, this law does not cover employees at OCFS secure facilities.

“When employees are assaulted while carrying out the duties of their job, those workers need to know their attackers will be held accountable,” Griffo said. “Employees at secure OCFS facilities deserve to be protected while doing their jobs. Only by imposing more severe felony-level penalties can we send the message that these violent acts will not be tolerated, so that we can deter other youths from using similar attacks to injure, threaten or intimidate.”

All three of these bills have been sent to the assembly.