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Brookhaven law limits sex offender housing

The Town of Brookhaven passed a law Tuesday that limits the number of registered sex offenders allowed to live in a single-family house. According to Brookhaven Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, the aim of

News 12 Staff

Aug 6, 2008, 1:56 PM

Updated 5,971 days ago

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The Town of Brookhaven passed a law Tuesday that limits the number of registered sex offenders allowed to live in a single-family house.
According to Brookhaven Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, the aim of the saturation statute is to ?make it so that not just one community has to suffer the effects of having affordable housing and therefore having multiple sex offenders in their area.?
The law makes it illegal for more than two registered sex offenders to reside in a home. A landlord who houses sex offenders in Gordon Heights told News 12 Long Island off camera that she considers the idea an example of the witch hunt sex offenders face.
According to the state's sex offender registry, there are 22 offenders living in six houses on Homestead Drive in Gordon Heights, and parents say they?re concerned.
The town had a public hearing about the law Tuesday night and it was passed unanimously. The law goes into effect immediately, but does not affect houses that already have more than two sex offenders living in them.
Laura Ahern, of Parents for Megan?s Law, calls the legislation a landmark and hopes it paves the way for a state law.