Owen H. Johnson's posts related to Crime

Legislation cracks down on Internet crimes against children     The New York State Senate yesterday passed the “Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Act” (S5226A), sponsored by Senator Steve Saland (R-I-C, Poughkeepsie), Chairman of the Senate Codes Committee.  The bill creates new, tougher crimes for predators who prey on children over the Internet.     The sexual exploitation of children is a growing issue. It is estimated that there are between 100,000 and 300,000 children sexually exploited annually through prostitution and pornography in the United States. 

SENATE PASSES BILLS TO CRACK DOWN ON ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME     The New York State Senate today passed legislation, sponsored by Senator Lee Zeldin (R, C, I- Shirley), that would crack down on organized retail crime, a growing problem that harms businesses and their customers.    According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, organized retail theft is an industry that costs United States retailers about $30 billion per year. Supermarket losses account for $15 billion of that annual theft.  Additionally, state and local governments are losing out on tens of millions of dollars annually in lost sales tax and excise fee revenue.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the groundbreaking law expanding New York State’s DNA Databank by requiring anyone convicted of any felony or Penal Law misdemeanor to provide a DNA sample is now effective.The new law also includes expanded access to DNA Databank comparisons for certain criminal defendants, allowing them to obtain DNA testing before trial or after a guilty plea to demonstrate their innocence. In addition, the law provides for greater access to discovery of evidence after conviction where innocence is claimed.