For immediate release:
June 17, 2014
Introduced By
Assemblyman Lentol and State Senator Squadron on the Request of UJO Of
Williamsburg, Following the Tragic Stark Murder; Law Passed Today in State
Senate
Brooklyn,
NY - The NY State Senate passed today a bill that will help ensure the speedy
identification of a recovered body in case of a tragic event. The 'Expedited
Missing Persons Act' was introduced after the brutal kidnapping and murder of
Menachem Stark of blessed memory, where it took for law enforcement hours to
piece together the recovered body in Nassau County with the ongoing search in
Brooklyn. Afterwards, Rabbi David Niederman raised the issue with the state
legislature representatives of Williamsburg, and Assemblyman Joe Lentol
introduced a bill in the Assembly that will help prevent such critical delays.
Senator Daniel Squadron sponsored the bill in the Senate, and Senator Felder played
a key role in today’s passage.
"Excruciating
hours passed between when Menachem Stark's body was located, until the
authorities realized that the unidentified body in Nassau County was Mr. Stark.
The family endured needless pain and anguish between when the body was found
until they were notified it was Menachem. We hope that no one else experiences
anything similar," said Rabbi Niederman. “This bill was introduced to
ensure that in tragic events, the suffering is not increased unnecessarily. Additionally,
it will ensure that the body is handled respectfully, according to the family's
wishes.”
“I
want to thank Rabbi David Niederman for bringing this issue to my attention.
The lapse in time between finding an unidentified deceased person and matching
them with an identity is crucial to an investigation. The new
Lentol-Squadron-Felder law will take direct aim at efficiently streamlining
this process for both the DCJS and local police precincts. This has been a
great effort between myself, Senator Squadron and Senator Felder to improve
this important section of criminal law. Our partnership will continue as we
work to ensure that the Governor signs this legislation and implements it as
the state policy," Said Assemblyman Joe Lentol.
“When
a tragedy occurs, prompt notification makes a difference for families and law
enforcement," said Senator Daniel Squadron. "Today’s passage of our
Expedited Missing Persons Act is an important step toward making the system
work better so we can all have more confidence everything possible is being
done to quickly connect with loved ones, and to move forward investigations.
I'm pleased to have worked with the community and Rabbi Niederman and thank
Assemblymember Lentol for his leadership."
“We
are grateful to the lead sponsors, Assemblyman Lentol and Senator Squadron, and
for Senator Felder for getting the bill passed today. We thank all statewide
and local elected officials voting and supporting, and especially those who joined
us, at the UJO, many months ago when announcing the introduction of the bill,"
Rabbi Niederman concluded.
Assembly
Bill A9006-2013: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/A9006-2013
Senate
Bill: S6750-2013: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6750-2013
 |
| Photo: Assemblyman Lentol Announcing the introduction of the bill at the UJO, in March, with Senator Squadron, Borough President Eric Adams, Councilman Stephen Levin, and Rabbi David Niederman |
