Tierney Warns Hochul: Don't Give Animal Abusers a Pass

Convicted animal abusers could get a clean slate to hide their ugly pasts, and Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney is demanding Gov. Kathy Hochul close a dangerous loophole before more innocent animals suffer.

Tierney is sounding the alarm over New York's controversial Clean Slate Act, warning that automatically sealing certain criminal convictions could undermine local animal abuse registries designed to keep pets out of the hands of convicted abusers.

“These simple and straightforward reforms will be extremely powerful in our enforcement of animal cruelty laws,” Tierney said.

Under the law, eligible misdemeanor convictions can be sealed after three years. That includes certain animal cruelty offenses involving torture, abandonment and even killing police animals.

The first wave of automatic record sealings is scheduled for November 16, 2027.

That's a ticking clock for animal shelters and rescue organizations that rely on public registries to screen potential adopters.

Suffolk County currently requires convicted animal abusers to register for 10 years. Nassau County and New York City maintain five-year registries.

Tierney fears those protections could be jeopardized without legislative action.

“If the state can ensure that every patrol officer can quickly flag a suspended license during a traffic stop, or pull an active order of protection during investigation of a domestic violence call, it absolutely should ensure that the same officer has the information at hand to intervene in acts of animal cruelty,” Tierney said.

“The Governor has the power to fix this, so she should.”

Tierney wants Hochul to establish a centralized statewide database of court-ordered animal possession bans and lawmakers to exempt animal abuse registries from Clean Slate restrictions.

He says the changes would help prevent convicted abusers from obtaining more animals.

“Animals cannot protect themselves,” Tierney said. “We have an opportunity now to build a statewide system that protects animals. We should get this done before the deadline. Not after an animal is harmed.”