Hauppauge, Tuesday, March 2: Leg. Jack Eddington, Chair of Public Safety, Leg. DuWayne Gregory, and County Executive Steve Levy joined together to fund a much needed bilingual hate crime victim advocate for the Crime Victims Center Program at Parents for Megan’s Law, located in downtown Patchogue.

The hate crime advocate will implement an outreach program and provide advocacy services to all protected classes (i.e. race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, and disability). Advocacy services provided to victims of hate crime will consist of crime victim support services, referrals to available county services, assistance in applying for Crime Victims Board compensation and information concerning crime victim’s rights in New York State.

Outreach programs will educate community organizations and their clients to provide a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice process and crime victim compensation reimbursement programs.

Leg. Eddington rallied eight other colleagues on the Legislature to contribute a portion of their Community Support Initiative money to this effort in order to fund the $45,000 position. Leg. Gregory, who is chair of the Suffolk County Hate Crimes Task Force, was the first to fully support Leg. Eddington’s efforts and offer essential funding to the initiative.

“I advocated hard for this bilingual advocate for our Patchogue Crime Victims Center. It is so important that all of our residents in Suffolk County know their elected officials and the police are there to keep them safe and assist them should they fall victim to a hate crime. It is just one more positive step toward embracing the diversity that exists in our communities,” said Leg. Eddington.

“This is one clear sign that Suffolk County is moving in the right direction when it comes to addressing victims of hate crimes,” said Leg. Gregory.

Laura Ahearn, Executive Director of the Crime Victims Center Program at Parents for Megan’s Law applauded Legislator Eddington and Legislator Gregory for spearheading this valuable program and for collaborating closely with their colleagues to help provide valuable resources to victims of hate crime.

“Through educational programs and crime victim support services, the Hate Crime Advocate will build bridges of understanding to reduce community tensions and provide services to those individuals and families who have been victimized by hate crime,” said Ahearn.  

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