A new law in Suffolk County will require amusement and water parks to contact police if a criminal act occurs. The legislation is in response to a sexual harassment incident last year where four teenage girls were groped by a group of men at Splish Splash Water Park in Calverton during a YMCA trip.
The men were escorted off the premises, but no identification information was collected and police were only called after the fact.
Suffolk County Legislator Susan Berland says she heard from a constituent whose daughter was harassed on the trip.
“These four young girls did everything right, by informing their counselor who in turn informed Splish Splash. But there were no protocols in place, no system in place.”
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says the legislation creates guidelines and punishments to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“Our amusement parks, our water parks are places where people should feel comfortable and safe, and that is an absolute priority for us in Suffolk County.”
The county is also looking to pass further legislation to expand these guidelines to other venues that may not fit the definition of an amusement park.
