Animal abusers in Nassau County could face jail time, large fines, and not being able to own pets in the future if new laws are passed.
County Legislator John Ferretti presented the bill in front of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Wantagh on Wednesday. The bill would also put abusers on the offender register for four times as long.
People who abuse others more than once will likely be put on a list for 20 years, while people who abuse others for the first time will only be put on a list for 10 years.
The Nassau SPCA says that the rule also makes it illegal to own animals, which means that all 16 people on the offender list have been given harsher sentences for their crimes.
If it turns out that they have pets, they could go to jail for a year and be fined up to $1,000.
He said, “I think that if you have harmed an animal, you have lost the right to own an animal.”
“This isn’t just a legal matter; it’s also a moral matter.”
Suffolk County, which is right next door, passed a similar law earlier this month that makes it illegal for people who have been guilty of animal abuse to own dogs and gives them the same punishments that Nassau has suggested.
Suffolk, on the other hand, did not go above and beyond by adding more time to the offender register for abusers.
Ferretti said that “great minds think alike” about when the law should go into effect.
He made it clear that even though his bill was written months before Suffolk’s was passed, the politician added some of their ideas to his own after seeing it.
“We have a duty to protect our family, and our pets are family members who can’t speak for themselves. We will continue to do everything we can to protect them,” he said.
Like Ferretti, Gary Rodgers, a detective with the Nassau SPCA, said that there is proof that shows mass murderers and serial killers start by hurting dogs.
Rodgers said that he believes this crackdown can make a difference and stressed how important it is to stop sick people from hurting animals before they hurt people.
Rodgers said, “This bill is very important.”
“It makes the law stronger, which is what we need.”
The legislature will meet again on June 9 and Ferretti’s bill will likely be put to a vote then.
“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
