New Law Shields Tipsters

The state Legislature has voted to protect law enforcement tipsters from being sued.

Intended to encourage New Yorkers to tell authorities about suspicious activity, a new law prevents those who are the targets of such reports from suing their accusers. The law cleared both the Assembly and the Senate last week and is expected to arrive on the desk of Governor Spitzer soon.

The bill was introduced in response to a lawsuit in Minnesota that has gained national attention and spurred legislation in Congress. While a similar measure has cleared the House of Representatives, there is no comparable legislation yet in effect on the federal level.

The Minnesota suit involves six imams who were removed from an America West Airlines flight last year. The airline claims it removed the imams partly due to a note from a passenger describing what he regarded as suspicious behavior on the imams' part. The note described the seating arrangement of the imams, as well as the fact that the imams had prayed and spoken out against America's foreign policy prior to the flight, according to legal papers.

Claiming discrimination, the imams sued the airline and any passengers who voiced suspicion about the imams to the flight attendants. The imams are currently seeking out the identity of any such passengers.

"To be sued just for making an observation to law enforcement or airline personnel is something that shocks ordinary people," an assemblyman from Queens who introduced the bill, Rory Lancman, said.

The law gives immunity from liability to any person who files, in good faith, a report alleging that a crime is about to occur. It also puts a burden on potential plaintiffs before they can obtain the identity of their accuser.

Although the law is called "the Freedom to Report Terrorism Act," the law would protect those who report suspicions about any type of criminal activity.