Online Suffolk domestic violence registry bill fails

There will be no online domestic violence registry after Suffolk legislators Tuesday sustained County Executive Steve Levy's veto of the bill creating one.

The bill's sponsor, Legis. DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville), mustered only seven of the 12 votes needed to override Levy's veto. The bill to create the registry had passed, on a 14-3 vote, Nov. 17. Gregory blamed the evaporation of the bill's support on political pressure from Levy's office.

"It was unfortunate that we're in that sort of environment where politics trumps good government policy," Gregory said.

But Levy aide Ben Zwirn told lawmakers that nonprofit groups that aid domestic violence victims were unified in their opposition to creating the online database. Victims, Zwirn said, would be less likely to call police if they feared their attackers' names would wind up on the Internet.

"This is about identifying children who have the same last name as somebody who has abused them," he said. "To say that this is political is offensive."

Lawmakers also approved, on 17-1 vote, leasing space at seven Suffolk County parking lots to install 60,000 solar panels.

The county will receive $8.5 million over 20 years to allow California-based enXco to construct the solar panels at Long Island Rail Road stations in Brentwood, Deer Park and Ronkonkoma and four county buildings, including the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge, which houses Levy's office.

Legis. Tom Cilmi (R-Bay Shore) voted no because, he said, he did not have enough information about the potential impact on LIPA ratepayers.

Legislators also debated the merits of placing the police commissioner on a fixed five-year term, instead of serving at the pleasure of the appointing county executive. Northport Village Police Commissioner Tom Kehoe and former Suffolk Police Commissioner John Gallagher each argued that doing so would hinder the department.

"This legislation would put the police commissioner in the position of having to serve two masters," Kehoe said. "It's a dangerous piece of legislation."

Gallagher said making the police commissioner accountable to legislators would not resolve issues

"I don't think this is the way to go, I don't think this is the answer to the problems you have," he said.

Suffolk PBA vice president Noel DiGerolamo said the union backs the measure because it would give commissioners more independence from elected officials.

"The only thing this bill does is remove some political influence over the commissioner, who will have the protection he needs to make decisions in the best interest of the public," he said.

The bill heads to the Public Safety Committee next month.