New York Announces Increased Reimbursement for Crime Victims

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With the previous cap set at $500, that means the new cap is now set at $2,500.

The money is designed to be used by victims to replace stolen, damaged or destroyed property during a crime.

The increased cap applies to any claim filed with the Office of Victim Services on or after October 6, 2022.

Schuyler County: National Drug Take Back Day dates, times and locations

The Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office and the Schuyler County Coalition on Underage Drinking and Drugs (SCCUDD) are encouraging community members to participate in National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, 2022. Community members can drop off their expired, unused, or unwanted medications between 10 am and 2 pm at the Odessa and Tyrone Fire Departments.

Free/Reduced Fee Sporting Licenses for Senior Citizens Offered

A 2014 survey carried out by the Oulu Deaconess Institute found that hunters and fishers feel that their physical, social and mental well-being is enhanced by spending time outdoors. These activities benefit our economy, provide funding for conservation and wildlife management and directly connect us with life on our planet.

With this in mind, New York State offers free or reduced fee sporting license/privileges for a number of groups, including the following:

• Active-duty military members
• Military veterans with 40% or more service-related disability
• Juniors (15 and under)
• Persons with Disability
• Native American members of select tribes
• Full-time nonresident students attending a New York College/University
• Seniors (ages 70+)

The requirements vary by category. For senior citizens, 70 years and older who are New York State residents, they are eligible for the following:

• $5 each fishing, hunting and trapping licenses
• Free bowhunting and muzzeloading privileges ($5 base hunting license is required)

In order to qualify, the required documents/proof are:

• For hunting licenses/privileges or trapping license: an appropriate hunter education program certificate or previous license/privilege;
• Proof of NYS residency.

Eligible Schuyler County seniors can get their reduced-fee licenses at the Schuyler County Clerk’s Office, 105 Ninth Street, Watkins Glen, New York, as well as at several town offices and businesses throughout the county. A complete list of approved locations can be found at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website.

Hunting and fishing in Schuyler County and New York State offer a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities. Purchasing a free or reduced fee license for these activities is an excellent way for seniors to support New York's wildlife management efforts and remain active in our great outdoors.

Schuyler County to take up call to repeal “unconstitutional” new state gun laws

Schuyler County is expected to join a host of other counties across New York opposing the state’s new gun laws imposing stringent new requirements for concealed-carry permits and firearm bans on most public and private properties.

On Wednesday (October 5), a committee of the Schuyler County Legislature approved a draft resolution asking the state to repeal the “New York State Conceal Carry Improvement Act” as “an unconstitutional infringement upon the Second Amendment right for law abiding citizens …to bear arms” that is “riddled with cumbersome, confusing, and redundant barriers of compliance” and which “does nothing to deal with the problems of crime and illegal firearms, especially in light of New York State’s ill-considered ‘bail reform’ laws.”

The resolution states that the new rules create “unfunded mandates,” and “potential threats to due process rights.” It also singles out the new rules requiring citizens to divulge their social media accounts as a potential violation of the First Amendment.

The resolution, prepared by Sheriff Kevin Rumsey and County Attorney Steven Getman, is expected to go the full legislature at its monthly meeting on Tuesday (October 11).

Various counties have issued similar resolutions, including by Allegany, Greene, Madison, Niagara, Seneca, Wayne and St. Lawrence counties.

The “New York State Conceal Carry Improvement Act,” which went into effect September 1, has led to court challenges from gun owners who say it improperly limits their constitutional rights. The new gun laws have also been subject to criticism by law enforcement groups and legal experts, including the New York State Sheriff’s Association and the President of the New York State Bar Association.

The measure was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on July 1, mere days after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key parts of the state’s prior concealed-carry provisions as a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. The law was passed in the Senate on a party-line vote, with all 43 Democrats in favor and all 20 Republicans opposed.

Under the new law, applicants for a concealed-carry permit will have to complete 16 hours of classroom training and two hours of live-fire exercises and provide their social media accounts for review by law enforcement officials.

Additionally, even with a permit, ordinary citizens are prohibited from bringing guns to schools, churches, subways, theaters and parks, among other places deemed “sensitive” by the state. The list of prohibited spaces for carrying guns has drawn criticism from gun owners who say it is so extensive it will make it almost impossible for people to carry firearms outside the home without committing a felony.

Asked in June if there were any public places where carrying a firearm will still be allowed, Hochul said, “Probably some streets.”

Lawsuits challenging the new law have already appeared, including a complaint filed in the Northern District of New York alleging that “exorbitant fees, [a] slew of non-sensitive ‘sensitive locations’ and ‘restricted locations’ which include very public places (like parks and sidewalks), and incredulous demands for carry license applicants, all are entirely without historical example, and thus violate the Second Amendment.” The complaint also makes a First Amendment challenge to the social media submissions, arguing that New York is attempting to “use protected First Amendment activity to deny the exercise of another right.”

A complete copy of Schuyler County’s resolution can be found here.

Second Amendment Legal Update, October 2022

A monthly update, prepared for the Schuyler County Chapter of S.C.O.P.E. NY, a statewide 501(c)4 organization dedicated to preserving the 2nd Amendment rights for the residents of New York State. For a complete PDF copy of this month's update click here.

Schuyler County SCOPE to Host “Meet the Candidates” Night

Finger Lakes Daily News:

The Schuyler County Chapter of SCOPE or the Shooters Committee on Political Education will hold a “Meet the Candidates Night” next week.

Shooters Committee on Political Education (S.C.O.P.E) is a non-partisan statewide organization dedicated to preserving Second Amendment Civil Rights through public education and promoting voter participation.

As part of its mission, S.C.O.P.E. is inviting candidates for countywide (local/state/federal) office to attend its quarterly meeting on October 6th at the Montour Falls Moose Lodge as a “Meet the Candidates Night.” Candidates will be given the opportunity to make a few brief remarks and answer questions from the membership. This will not be a debate but, rather, a chance for interested persons to interact with candidates directly.

Candidates invited include those persons running for Schuyler County Treasurer, County Legislature, New York State Senate, New York State Assembly, U.S. Congressional District NY-23 and others.

Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend.

Notice of public hearing: Civil legal services in New York

The Chief Judge’s 2022 Hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York will be held Monday, September 19, 2022, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, at the Court of Appeals, 20 Eagle Street, Albany, NY

Topics may include:

• The impact of Judiciary Civil Legal Services funding (JCLS) on the delivery of civil legal services and the fair and efficient administration of justice in the State courts.
• The current scope of the unmet need for civil legal services by low-income New Yorkers and the funding necessary to provide effective assistance to meet those needs, including costs related to pandemic-
• related modifications to legal services delivery. The impact of adequate civil legal services funding on economic, social, and public health outcomes for low- income and vulnerable communities and individuals, including persons with disabilities, the elderly, veterans, and children.
• The economic benefits to individuals, communities, the courts, and the State from the provision of civil legal services where essentials of life are at stake.
• The cost and impact of a funded statutory right to counsel in meeting the civil legal needs of low-income New Yorkers.
• The impact on the delivery of effective civil legal services due to attorney shortages throughout the State, particularly in rural areas.
• The importance of bridging the digital divide, particularly with regard to remote appearances, to ensure equal access to justice.
• The need for increased pro bono services, law school programs, and non-lawyer programs, including the Court Navigator Program and Legal Hand.
• New or expanded community collaborations among legal services providers, law schools, law and public libraries, health care providers, and clergy.

Live Stream the hearing here.

Second Amendment Legal Update, September 2022

A monthly update, prepared for the Schuyler County Chapter of S.C.O.P.E. NY, a statewide 501(c)4 organization dedicated to preserving the 2nd Amendment rights for the residents of New York State. For a complete PDF copy of this month's update click here.

11th National Animal Cruelty Prosecution Conference announced

The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, in partnership with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, will host the 11th National Animal Cruelty Prosecution Conference on December 13-15, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The goal of this training is to provide prosecutors, law enforcement, and others with the requisite skills to strengthen links between the criminal justice system and the community by protecting our most vulnerable victims and to enhance prosecutors' ability to successfully identify and prosecute animal cruelty and animal fighting cases.

The conference is intended for prosecutors, law enforcement and animal control officers, veterinarians and related disciplines involved in the prosecution of animal cruelty crimes.

For more on the conference, including how to register, click here.

County Officials to Hochul: Raise the Age law at “crisis level”

A lack of juvenile detention facilities for teenagers charged with violent crimes under New York’s “Raise the Age” (RTA) law has reached a crisis level, often forcing counties to release the accused into the public and placing communities and children at risk.

That’s the finding of a statewide group of county officials and probation administrators, in a letter sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday (August 8).

As noted in the letter, the 2018 RTA law created a new “adolescent offender” status for 16-and 17-year-olds who commit a felony-level crime. Under the law, instead of being tried as adults and placed in jails, the most serious offenders could be sent to specialized secure detention facilities.

However, despite mandating that counties operate or have access to those facilities (which never existed before RTA), the scarcity of these state-certified facilities has led to “severely negative consequences,” for the public and the counties who administer the law.

“Today, counties either have to transport youth far from home while they await trial, or the youth remains free in their community after having been charged with serious crimes that include murder, attempted murder, rape, and robbery—many of which included the use of guns,” the letter notes. “Both scenarios, which are common occurrences in many jurisdictions, are a direct result of the state not being fully prepared for this hastily implemented legislation and its mandate that counties be solely responsible for detention.”

“When secure detention space is not available, the Adolescent Offender, which is often a high-risk individual alleged to have a committed a serious and violent crime, is released to be supervised by the probation department.”

To help resolve this crisis, the county officials are urging Hochul to transition some of the closed Department of Correctional and Community Supervision facilities to accommodate the lack of specialized secure detention beds.

The county representatives also suggested that the state allow the Finger Lakes Consortium to open a specialized secure detention facility.

That consortium, created via a 2018 Intermunicipal Agreement, drafted by Schuyler County Attorney Steven Getman, looks to establish a not-for-profit local development corporation to develop and operate a joint detention facility under RTA. Counties who have joined—or are looking to join—the consortium are Allegany, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Cattaraugus, Wayne, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins and Yates. The counties contracted with John Treahy, of Treahy and Associates Consultation Services, an organization experienced in juvenile justice and child welfare issues, job coaching and staff training. v RTA was intended as a shift from punishing to rehabilitating teens charged with crimes. While in custody, the suspects would be eligible for a variety of case services and programs to divert them from offending again and give them access to treatment for addiction or other problems.

The “Raise the Age NY Campaign” believes the law will be more effective in preventing re-offenses. They cite a U.S. Center for Disease Control study that found youth who are tried in the adult criminal justice system are 34 percent more likely to commit future crimes than those who remain in the youth justice system.

A complete copy of the letter to Hochul, signed by representatives of the New York State Association of Counties, Council of Probation Administrators and County Executives’ Association can be found here