8/6/2019 Letter to District Attorneys Association of the State
of New York
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July 6, 2011
District Attorneys Association of the State of New York
Derek P. Champagne, President
Franklin County District Attorney
355 West Main StreetMalone, New York 12953
Janet DiFiore, President-Elect
Westchester County District AttorneyRichard J. Daronco
Courthouse
111 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. BoulevardWhite Plains, New York
10601
Dear Colleagues,
I hope this note finds you and your offices enjoying our
beautiful New York summer, and
allowing staff at least one day a month to enjoy time out of
Court and their respective bureaus.
Of course I thank you personally, and the District Attorneys
Association of the State of NewYork (DAASNY) generally, for the
difficult work you regularly undertake on behalf of all New
Yorkers. The day-to-day operations and management of an office
doesnt leave much free time;that you volunteer yours to guide
criminal justice discussions is a testament to your dedication
tothese vital matters.
This letter is sent in response to a very specific policy
concern implicated by the recent andhighly publicized Casey Anthony
verdict. As you know, Ms. Anthony was found not guilty on
the charge of 1st degree murder in the death of her 2-year old
daughter, Caylee.
As the mother of two young children around the same age as
Caylee was, I am deeply saddened
by the circumstances around this tragic case. If for any reason
either of my boys disappeared,the authorities would have been
notified within minutes. As an attorney, I have respect for the
system that found Ms. Anthony to be not guilty of 1st degree
murder, but especially troubling - as
it was an underlying problem with the investigation and
subsequent prosecution - is the fact thatMs. Anthony did not notify
authorities of her daughters disappearance until more than a
month
later. While common sense suggests why the authorities were not
notified, we must operate in
the world of facts that can be substantiated.
Legislating is about problem solving, and I believe it is a
significant problem that New York
State has no mandatory reporting law for parents, legal
guardians, caretakers or other responsible
ALBANY OFFICE: Room 417, Legislative Office Building, Albany,
New York 12248 ~ TEL: 518-455-5411, FAX: 518-455-4995
DISTRICT OFFICE: 136-20 38th Avenue, Suite 10A, Flushing, New
York 11354 ~ TEL: 718 939 0195, FAX 718 9391238
E-mail: [email protected]
COMMITTEESAgingBanksLabor
Libraries and Education TecSmall Business
Real Property Taxatio
CAUCUSESBlack, Puerto Rican, Hispan
Asian Legislative CaucLegislative Women's Cau
SUBCOMMITTEEWorkplace Safety
GRACE MENGAssemblywoman 22nd District
Queens County
THE ASSEMBLY
STATE OF NEW YORK
ALBANY
8/6/2019 Letter to District Attorneys Association of the State
of New York
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adults to not notify law enforcement of the death of their
child, accidental or otherwise, within a
timely manner of the death being discovered. I am drafting
legislation requiring this reporting
and making failure to do so a felony. In addition, I am drafting
additional legislation to make it afelony for a parent, legal
guardian, caretaker or other responsible adult to not notify
law
enforcement of the disappearance of their child within a timely
manner of the disappearance
being discovered. I hope your offices can be a resource in
discussing and shaping the details ofthis legislation, and in
advocating for its adoption into law.
I hope that New York State can do its part to ensure that there
will be no more cases like CaseyAnthony's. I would like to work
with DAASNY on this legislation and hope to hear from you
soon.
Regards,
Grace MengMember of Assembly
Cc: Hon. Sheldon Silver
SpeakerNYS Assembly
Hon. Joseph LentolChairman
NYS Assembly Codes Committee
Hon. Dean SkelosMajority Leader
NYS Senate
Hon. Stephen Saland
Chairman
NYS Senate Codes Committee
