Suffolk County Exec Steve Levy Calling for Gang Registry to Reduce Crime

New York's Suffolk County officials are calling for a new police outpost in Huntington Station following a string of violent crime there. According to CBS New York, a committee voted 4-to-1 for the substation on Wednesday. Now County Executive Steve Levy says, in addition to hiring 150 more police officers, he will consider creating a gang registry. He reportedly believes a gang registry would be an important tool in fighti8ng crime in the area.

“We’re talking about the hardened members who have a long criminal rap sheet,” Levy said. “That’s an important tool that can help out the police department and our prosecutors as well.” The registry would work much like a sex offender registry, Levy explained, allowing law enforcement officials to monitor and control movements of violent gang members.  Levy said 90 percent of the county has seen a reduction in crime, but it remains high in Huntington Station, North Amityville and North Bellport.
 
As far as I can remember, the sex offender registry has loopholes and is not up-to-date as it should be. There are many sex offenders who fall through the cracks and cannot be found. Across the nation, law enforcement is losing track of sex offenders despite strict registration laws. For example, authorities in California cannot account for 44 percent of the state's registered sex offenders. Washington law enforcement agencies cannot verify addresses for about 10 percent of those offenders, while in Seattle, slightly more than 20 percent of the registered sex offenders cannot be located, according to the Seattle PI Local. That's just two states I have cited and the results are similar in other states. So, on that basis, would a gang registry really serve as a deterrent to crime?