Ontario County will join the counties in New York that have an animal abuse registry in an effort to limit the abuse of animals by making it harder for those convicted of abuse crimes to own animals.
The Ontario County Board of Supervisors on July 16 approved the measure, which also could limit the impact of animal abuse cases on the Ontario County Humane Society, which in addition to investigating abuse cases also operates the Happy Tails animal shelter.
What we know about the animal abuser registry
People convicted of misdemeanor or felony level animal abuse, neglect or torture crimes would be required to register with the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office. Going forward, anyone convicted of such crimes would be banned from owning animals for 15 years, according to Sheriff David Cirencione.
An online public registry would then include details and pictures of those convicted. A person convicted of a second offense would be registered for life, Cirencione said.
A person who fails to register also could be jailed and/or fined. A person on the register who is found to own an animal also could be jailed or fined. Both carry misdemeanor charges.
The hope is the registry would make it more difficult for animal abusers from owning, possessing or harboring animals, while also giving others the tool to report them and perhaps rescue at-risk animals sooner.
Cirencione has estimated that anywhere from 10 to 15 people a year could be included on the registry.
“My thanks to the Ontario County Board of Supervisors for passing this legislation that will serve as another tool to protect our animals who are utterly defenseless against cruelty and neglect,” Cirencione said in a statement, adding he is thankful to the Ontario County Administrator’s Office, Attorney’s Office, DIstrict Attorney’s Office and Humane Society for their efforts.
Do other counties have animal abuser registries?
The proposed registry is modeled after similar registries in other New York counties, according to Cirencione.
The New York State Humane Society shows that slightly more than half of the state’s 62 counties have such laws.
A similar law in Livingston County went into effect in January, although the state site shows that Monroe, Wayne and Yates counties do not have registries.
The Ontario County registry will be found on the sheriff’s mobile app at OntarioSheriffNy and webste at www.ontariocountyny.gov/sheriff/.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. He can be reached at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ontario County approves new public animal abuse registry
Reporting by Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
