The New York Civil Liberties Union today condemned the Suffolk County Legislature's rushed approval of a major overhaul to the county’s sex offender management plan that will not enhance public safety and raises serious concerns about basic constitutional rights.

The following statement is attributable to Amol Sinha, director of the NYCLU's Suffolk County Chapter:

'In rushing to approve this legislation by bypassing the normal democratic process, the County Legislature has sacrificed smart, evidence-based policy making for an ill-conceived plan that does little, if anything, to promote public safety, raises serious constitutional concerns and diverts scarce public resources from more effective measures to prevent sexual violence.

"Laws that aim to promote public safety must be the product of rigorous public discussion and grounded in practices that evidence shows will actually protect communities from future crimes. It simply makes no sense to hastily pass a law that has not been sufficiently considered or evaluated in terms of its effectiveness or its legality."