Relates to implementing a dangerous dog owner alert system
Summary
This bill, titled "Templeton's Law," would amend the General Municipal Law to create a county-level dangerous dog owner alert system. It requires municipal clerks to share data with county clerks, and county clerks to maintain a public web page listing the blocks where dangerous dogs are kept within each municipality. The page must also link to a mapping service showing street maps and satellite imagery, and it must post notifications identifying the block where an owner convicted of an offense involving a dangerous dog resides.
The bill also adds ongoing notice requirements for dangerous dog owners. If a dangerous dog dies, the owner must notify the municipal clerk, who must forward that notice to the county clerk. If the owner changes residence, the owner must notify both the municipality being left and the new municipality, and each clerk must forward the information to the county clerk. The bill takes effect 30 days after becoming law.
Impact
The bill would expand section 209-cc of the General Municipal Law by adding new reporting, recordkeeping, and public-notice duties for municipal and county clerks regarding dangerous dogs and their owners. It would create a new public-facing county web page and require local governments to coordinate on residence-change and death notifications, affecting municipalities, county clerks, dangerous dog owners, and local residents who may use the information for awareness and safety.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct support or opposition is documented. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and neighborhood-notification proposal intended to increase awareness of dangerous dog locations and ownership changes.
Contention
The main likely point of contention is privacy versus public safety. The bill requires public posting of blocks where dangerous dogs are kept and allows additional identifying information such as a resident's name, address, or dog's name, which could raise concerns about stigmatizing owners or exposing personal information. Another possible issue is administrative burden, since it imposes new notification and web-posting responsibilities on municipal and county clerks and relies on intergovernmental data sharing.
Changes term vicious to dangerous dogs, expands on requirements relative to leashes, enclosures, addresses fines, requires signage, mandates dangerous dogs be kept in enclosure and provides other requirements.