NY - Animal abusers in N.Y. may have to register like sex offenders

Original Article

09/14/2012

The New York City Council is considering a measure that would require convicted animal abusers to register their name, address, and photo to an online registry, similar to sex offender registries.

The registry would be available to animal shelters and pet shops (Why not available to the public?). Those who fail to register or acquire an animal once in the registry will face a $1,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail.
- And will it be unconstitutionally retroactive so it gets everyone from past history who has abused any animals?

The measure was introduced following several animal abuse cases, including one last year where a man threw his dog out of a third story window.
- So, why pick and chose?  Why not one registry for all sinners?  Like murderers, gang members, drug dealers/users, DUI offenders, thieves, etc?

Three New York counties already have animal abuse registries in place.

Nine other states are considering similar measures, however, some states have failed to approve animal abuse registries because setup costs could run as high as $1 million.
- But so does the sex offender registry, but they never considered that then, so why now?  If it saves one animal, isn't it worth it?

Proponents of animal abuse registries say they not only help to cut down the number of abused animals but also help identify potentially violent criminals.

See Also:

• Instead of many registries, why not one registry for all sinners?
• Other animal abuse registry articles

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