The registry will include names and residence information of people living in Suffolk County who are convicted of an animal abuse crime. The law directs the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCSPCA) to establish and maintain a registry for such individuals.
Every person required to register with the Animal Abuse Registry must pay an annual fee of $50.00 to the Suffolk County Police Department. These funds will be used to pay the administrative costs of maintaining the Registry.
Anyone who is required to register with the Animal Abuse Registry who fails to do so will be charged with a class A misdemeanor and faces jail time and a fine.
"This law will provide the ammunition to help fight the ongoing war against animal abusers. Let this law be a model for other municipalities not only in New York state, but throughout the nation," Chief Gross, Chief of the Suffolk County SPCA said. Also, Gross said it's a known fact that people who abuse animals end up abusing people.
The bill now goes to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy.
