Pubdate: Wed, 10 May 2006
Source: Times Union (Albany, NY)
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=480200&category=CAPI%20TOL&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=5/10/2006
Copyright: 2006 Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation
Contact: http://www.timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp
Website: http://www.timesunion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/452
Author: James M. Odato, Capitol bureau
Bookmark: 
http://www.mapinc.org/people/David+Soares 
(David Soares)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm 
(Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: 
http://www.mapinc.org/find?140 
(Rockefeller Drug Laws)

GOVERNOR FAULTS SOARES' REMARKS

At function advocating expanded DNA registry, Pataki calls district 
attorney's drug law criticisms "disappointing"

ALBANY -- Republican Gov. George Pataki on Tuesday called Albany 
County District Attorney David Soares' criticisms of state and 
national drug laws "disappointing" but credited the Democrat for apologizing.

Pataki lowered his voice when discussing Soares' remarks at a 
conference in Vancouver last week. "I thought it was disappointing, 
particularly toward police officers who put their lives on the line 
not because it's a lucrative job, but because they believe in 
protecting people, and it was appropriate he apologized," the governor said.

Advertisement In a speech in which he urged Canadians not to emulate 
U.S. laws, Soares suggested America's war on drugs is being fought to 
provide law enforcement officials with "lucrative" jobs while 
resulting in a buildup in prison populations. His remarks angered 
police, and he clarified his position Monday, saying he admires cops 
and didn't intend to demean them, but stuck to his position that drug 
laws are unfair to many New Yorkers.

Pataki defended the state's drug laws, saying they've been improved 
over the years but that tougher penalties for drug kingpins are 
needed. The Assembly, on the other hand, proposed this week to 
further soften some of the strict Rockefeller-era drug laws.

Pataki's comments came during a push to expand the state's DNA 
registry so that every convict would be required to submit samples 
that could link criminals to unsolved crimes. He was joined by 
survivors of crime victims and Ballston Spa residents Mary and 
Douglas Lyall, whose daughter Suzanne has been missing since 1998.

Standing before police, district attorneys, Albany Mayor Jerry 
Jennings and Police Chief James Tuffey, Pataki said most felons and 
people convicted of misdemeanors are required to submit DNA samples 
under current law. He said leads could develop for investigators if 
all convicts were in the data bank.

"The citizens of New York state deserve to have the best protection 
possible," Douglas Lyall said.

Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, D-Brooklyn, Codes Committee chairman, said 
his Democrat-led chamber intends to pass for the first time a DNA 
bill nearly identical to the one passed overwhelmingly by the 
Republican-controlled Senate for the past seven years.

The Assembly plan will include a provision missing in the Senate bill 
that samples given to law enforcement officials by people found not 
guilty of charges be destroyed. Pataki withheld comment on the measure.