READER’S VIEW: New laws to keep hope alive to find missing persons

When a person goes missing or a child abduction occurs, seconds count and time is of the essence and can make the difference between life and death.

Last September, a 9-year-old Corinth girl was abducted from Moreau Lake State Park here in Saratoga County in my Senate District. Fortunately, she was safely found and returned home thanks to the fact the New York State Police were able to capitalize on the kidnapper’s mistake of leaving a fingerprint on the ransom note, and that his prints were on file from a DWI in the 1990s.

If security cameras were already in place at Moreau Lake State Park, perhaps the kidnapper would have been identified and this young person found much sooner and not 48 hours after her disappearance.

That’s why I authored and introduced legislation (S.7688) to require New York’s 180 state-run parks and campgrounds be equipped with security cameras that can identify the license plate, make and model of any vehicle entering or exiting the facilities as well as record the image of any person walking into or out of the grounds.

The measure has Majority bipartisan sponsorship in the Assembly with Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam).

The Governor listened to my proposal for this common-sense public safety measure and has included it in her budget proposal, and at press time, we are negotiating to get it into the final version of the state budget.

As we endeavor to keep all New Yorkers who recreate in our state’s 180 parks safe and more secure, I’m also working with the family of the courageous Corinth young lady who was kidnapped on new legislation to help survivors who are minors by ensuring they have a dedicated advocate present during all questioning and proceedings.

Many times, when minors must share their story and give depositions in such a case, there is either no advocate present or a different person accompanying them each time.

When a child has to go through this over and over again to get testimony, it’s bad enough what they went through, but to have to visually be in front of their abductor is just too much.

The bill also will protect the privacy of minors by shielding court records.

I’m also a sponsor of legislation to expedite the triggering of an Amber Alert and help respond to abduction cases more expeditiously.

Helping find missing persons and supporting their families has been one of the areas that I’ve focused on over my legislative career.

As Chair of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Missing Children, I sponsored and passed New York’s landmark non-custodial release law to protect children from being abducted. This child release procedure law continues to be used by every school in New York State to provide guidance on who is authorized to pick up a child.

Following years of research, legislation and statewide public hearings on the subject, I co-authored a book entitled, “Missing Children: A psychological approach to understanding the causes and consequences of stranger and non-stranger abduction of children.”

With former Governor Mario Cuomo, I helped make New York the first state in the nation to put the pictures of missing persons on Thruway Toll tickets and we found the first missing girl they put on those tickets.

As Assembly Minority Leader, I was proud to be one of the driving forces for passage of New York’s civil confinement law to keep dangerous sex predators out of the community.

Over the years, I’ve worked closely with Suzanne Lyall’s parents Mary and the late Doug Lyall of Ballston Spa and the Center for Hope on several innovative initiatives to find missing persons and support their families, including creating the nation’s first Missing Persons Remembrance Monument located next to the state museum in Albany. Suzanne Lyall went missing from the University at Albany in 1998.

It was my honor last week to join Mary Lyall and the Center for Hope and once again serve as the emcee for the 21st annual New York State Missing Persons Day. The event brings together family members of missing persons from across the state to share ways of coping and keeping hope alive, to prevent abductions and share information to find those who are missing.

The Center for Hope and the Lyalls have been national leaders in efforts to help find missing persons and advocating for legislation and innovative programs on the state and federal levels.

I’m currently working with Mary Lyall and the Center for Hope to advocate for creation of a new unit in the NYS Police dedicated to investigating cold cases and missing persons cases.

One thing we’ve seen when it comes to missing persons cases is that getting the information out there to the media and public is critical.

It only takes one piece to maybe get information that can lead investigators to finding that child or adult who is missing alive or at least finding them and getting some type of closure for families.

As long as I have the honor to continue to serve, I will keep working to provide that hope for families.

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) represents all of Saratoga County, Niskayuna and the City of Schenectady.