Not Pervert, But It’s A Start

The Bloomberg Administration has given its qualified support to Council Member Vallone’s proposed anti-Tom legislation. While it seems the telescope lobby is safe for now, staircase trolls, among the worst of the perverts, may finally face up to their transgressions:

City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. got a promise of support from the Bloomberg mayoral administration last week for his first-ever legislation to punish Peeping Toms.

The promise came from Karen Agnifilio, general counsel to the Criminal Justice Coordinator, according to Vallone. Agnifilio said the administration supports the “private place” section of Vallone’s legislation and plans to work with the council to change some provisions of that section of the bill.

. . .

Vallone’s bill, the first in New York City against Peeping Toms, has been narrowly crafted to capture the worst perverts, those that stand under stairways or drill holes in apartment walls. It will not go after the “casual observer” on the street, Vallone added.

“There are people out there using their eyes to degrade others and invade their privacy,” Vallone stated. “We are trying to craft a law that stops the worst of these perverts without capturing innocent conduct.

“Right now, if a person cuts a peephole in a dressing room and films a woman undressing, they can be charged with an E felony, but if they only use the naked eye, it’s not even a crime.”

And if you can figure out what this means, make sure all the pervs you know are put on notice:

The way Vallone’s legislation is written, to be found guilty, violators must repeatedly position themselves in a public place to view parts of another individual’s person that otherwise would not be visible to the public.

In other words, one cannot be in public looking at stuff that isn’t visible to the public . . . right? Repeatedly, that is.

The other part of the legislation takes aim at urban astronomers (i.e., pervs with telescopes):

If the peeping occurs in a private place, a violator must view these parts when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as when they are undressing in the bedroom of their apartment.

Exit question: Does one have a reasonable expectation of privacy even when living in high-rise, glass-intensive ant farms? Or should Vallone stick to Council resolutions on the appropriate amount of homework for schoolchildren?