Newly elected New York state Sen. Thomas Croci said what’s needed to help fight the war on terrorism is a “New York State Terrorist Registry” that would require those with suspect pasts to list themselves on a database that would be searchable by neighbors.
Such registry would “discourage” suspected terrorists from living in the state, he said, Raw Story reported.
“It will discourage terrorists worldwide from entering New York, require those already in New York to register and be monitored,” Mr. Croci said, the New York Daily News reported. “More importantly, it will provide our law enforcement with an important new tool to immediately arrest a terrorist who has not registered and [be] submitted to monitoring once their presence in New York state is discovered.”
His proposed law would require that anyone with a history of terrorism, or who have committed a “verifiable act” of terrorism, to register with the list, Raw Story reported. And among the information they would have to report: Their addresses and their photographs. They would also be required to submit samples of their DNA, Raw Story reported.
Former state assemblyman Richard Brodsky found the proposal nonsensical.
“The great problem in the U.S, is not people who have been convicted of terrorism,” he said Raw Story reported. “It is the people who have not been convicted of anything yet.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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