by Carolyn James

The Suffolk County Department of Social Services has been housing paroled sex offenders in a North Babylon motel, the only location in the entire county where these high-risk homeless parolees are being placed, according to Babylon Town officials who learned about the policy this week. Already, officials, parents and residents have set into motion a series of steps to stop the practice.

"This is a classic case of a failed public policy, and things slipping through the cracks, and it is my responsibility as Town Supervisor to let the county know that this is entirely unacceptable," said Supervisor Steve Bellone.

"Our town is constantly being dumped on as a gateway to prostitution, illegal housing and now for sexual predators," said an angry Frank Castagna, a North Babylon resident who lives near the motel and has fought for several years against activities that he has observed in the area, including the proliferation of prostitutes. "For a long time, we didn’t realize the extent of what was happening here and now, unfortunately, it has become abundantly clear."

The motel, which at 915 Sunrise Highway in North Babylon, was selected as a site to house parolees who had been incarcerated for sexual offenses, because it met the criteria, as sent down by county law, said Dennis Nowak, a spokesman for the DSS. Under state law, the department is mandated to find adequate housing for the homeless, including all parolees, he explained.

While Nowak would not identify the Brook Motel as the only site the county is using, citing confidentiality issues, Babylon officials said that it is only one of two locations in the entire county that can be used to house these types of parolees. The other is a motel in Coram, but officials said the owners there have declined to accept such tenants from the county.

The motel is owned by M. Patel, and according to the owner, she was unaware that the clients the DSS sent to the motel were sexual offenders. But town officials said an inspection of the motel records indicated that as many as 13 were housed there.

Nowak pointed to the state’s department of parole as the major problem, saying it releases parolees into communities without adequate housing, mental health services or job training, and that the DSS is then obligated to find these individuals housing. He also referred to Suffolk County law 266 of 2002, which restricted the location of

sexual offenders within 1,000 feet of a child care facility, playground, school or house of worship. Such restrictions make finding adequate housing for these felons very difficult, he said.

"Those are the restrictions we have to work within but they do not negate our mandate, which is to house the homeless," he said.

"We have to amend that law to include density limits to ensure that every community shares the burden of housing all of the homeless," said Babylon Town Councilman Lindsay Henry. "Certainly putting them all together in one place multiplies the danger to a community."

The Brook Motel is in the North Babylon School District, which just this week released an alert to parents about a female high school student who was approached and fondled by a stranger. In addition, the school is notified whenever a convicted sexual predator moves into the district and then notifies the public. In a letter mailed to every home, Superintendent of Schools John Micciche asked that parents instruct their children as to how to respond to strangers. "Children should be told to report any unusual or suspicious actions immediately to ...any responsible adult who should then, immediately, report the incident to the police," he said.

Castagna said he was appalled to learn that there is a school bus that stops near the motel to pick up students. "It is absolutely unbelievable," he said.

Another North Babylon resident and member of the district’s PTA said that word of the problem spread quickly throughout the district last week, and that parents were preparing to attend the Babylon Town Board meeting this week to voice their concerns.

"I really don’t care about the problems they face in housing these people," she said. "I don’t want them in my neighborhood. As far as I am concerned the safety of our children supersedes everything else."

The County policy also brings into question other issues, said town officials, including the possibility of parole violations since parolees are generally not permitted to associate with other felons. And, without adequate health care services, their proximity to other sexual predators increases the likelihood that they will break the law and commit a sexual assault again, they said.

"This policy has to change," said Bellone, who has already been in touch with Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy about the problem. "The County Executive has indicated that he is going to work with us on this."

"The County Executive is very sensitive to the concerns of the local communities facing this issue," said Ed Dumas, a spokesman for Levy. "As a result he has directed the Department of Social Services to assemble a strike force to develop a plan to deal with it quickly."

According to the criminal Justice website, three level three offenders live in the motel, all males. One assaulted an 8-year-old female in the county in February and was charged with sodomy; a second was charged with rape, first and third degree and sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old female in September of 1991 and the third was charged with rape, second degree in February of 1001. That involved a 12-year-old female. According to the information two of the three share a room in the motel.

Additional information can be obtained at the website at: http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/nsor/index.htm