Nassau County Deputy Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello, joined by his colleagues in the Legislature and the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NCSPCA), announced the creation of a registry that will prevent people convicted of animal abuse in the county from adopting pets from shelters or stores.
The legislation was approved by the County Legislature with unanimous support from both parties. The legislation will establish an on-line registry of individuals convicted of animal-abuse and prevent those people from purchasing animals in Nassau County.
“Statistically, there is a high rate of recidivism among people who are convicted of an animal abuse crime,” said Legislator Nicolello. “By creating this registry, we can better protect those helpless animals from being abused.”
“Animal abuse will not be tolerated in Nassau County," said County Executive Mangano. “Nassau County is leading the nation in protecting animals from abuse by creating an online registry that will help prevent people convicted of animal abuse from adopting and purchasing pets from shelters or stores."
The legislation requires anyone over 18 convicted of animal abuse to register with for the Nassau County Animal Abuse Registry at the Nassau County Police Department. The contact information and a photograph of the individual will be maintained on the registry. Any person in Nassau County who wishes to adopt or purchase a pet from an animal shelter or pet dealer will have to provide photo identification, which will then be checked with the registry. Persons appearing on the registry will not be allowed to purchase animals. Concerned members of the public will also be allowed to sign up for email notifications for updates and additions to the registry.