State Senate Coalition report finds dangerous sex offenders residing near UPK programs

After disappointing New York State Court of Appeals decision for Nassau County, State Senate Coalition demands passage of bills that will strengthen  protections for children against sex offenders

New York, NY – On Sunday, the New York State Senate Coalition released a disturbing joint-investigative report, “Keeping Our Children Safe From Sex Offenders,” conducted by the offices of  Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) and State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau.)

Senator Klein, joined by Senators Diane Savino (D-Staten Island-Brooklyn) and Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), released the investigative report and demanded the passage of bills to further protect children from sexual predators — including fixing the Pre-K loophole and empowering localities to fortify their sex offender laws.

The joint-investigative report also comes on the heels of a devastating New York State Court of Appeals decision for Nassau County that bars localities from tightening sex offender residency laws.

The investigation uncovered convicted pedophiles flouting the state law that forbids Level 2 and 3 sex offenders from residing within 1,000-feet of a grade school. More distressingly, with 54,000 new Universal Pre-K seats in New York City, many youngsters remain unprotected by the current law if they attend stand-alone Pre-K programs. The investigation uncovered over a dozen sexual predators currently living within 1,000-feet of Pre-K programs separate from traditional grade schools.