BILL NUMBER: S6647
SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to reporting duties with
respect to missing children and adults
 
PURPOSE:
To amend the executive law, in relations to reporting duties with
respect to missing children and adults.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 states this act may be cited as Lamont Dottin's law.
Section 2 amends the executive law by adding a new section 838-b detail-
ing plans to be established regarding police response to missing adults.
Section 3 amends the executive law, section 837-f, to regard missing
adults in the same capacity as missing children.
Section 4 amends the executive law, section 837-m, to include missing
persons (i.e., not just children) among those who must be reported by
local police, in addition to imposing a similar duty on morgues with
regard to identified and non-identified bodies. Police departments are
also required to establish a trained missing person specialist.
Section 5 provides this act shall take effect January 1, 2018.
 
EXISTING LAW:
There are currently no such requirements with regard to missing adults..
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Anita fowler's son, Lamont Dottin was a freshman at Queens College
(CUNY) when he disappeared on October 18, 1995 after leaving his grand-
mother's house to mail a package to his mother, who was in California.
Dr. Fowler returned immediately to New York and began searching for her
son. She tried to report him as missing, but due to police regulations
she was unable to file a report until November 13, 1995. Dr. Fowler
searched for five years, when she found that her son's body was found
six days after she reported him as missing, and lay unidentified in a
grave at Potter's Field in February 1996. This legislation seeks to
prevent future confusion and heartache by requiring law enforcement and
agency coordination, using database technology to track missing person
reports and unidentified bodies, and reforming guidelines for handling
adult missing persons.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22 SENATE REFERRED TO FINANCE
2021-22 referred to assembly governmental operations
2019-20 SENATE REFERRED TO FINANCE
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, except that section two of this
act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date
upon which it shall have become a law, and provided further that the
division of criminal justice services is immediately authorized to take
any and all actions necessary to ensure the implementation of the
provisions of this act by such effective dates. *

Statutes affected:
S6647: 837-m executive law