Suffolk County keeps a public animal abuse registry so that people convicted of cruelty can’t get their hands on another animal. But a News 12 investigation found that some convicted offenders weren’t on the list at all. The Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County Legislature need to close these gaps now.

One missing name was Carlos Lauro of Aquebogue. Authorities say he shot and killed two young German shepherds on his property in 2023 and 2024. He pleaded guilty in January 2024, was sentenced to a year in jail, and was banned from owning animals for 20 years. Still, News 12 couldn’t find him on the registry. In November 2025, police arrested him on 12 new animal cruelty counts, and Humane Long Island says 50 chickens and roosters were taken from his property. In August, he was convicted of animal neglect.

He wasn’t the only one. The man convicted of beating a Chihuahua mix to death in 2022 was missing too, until News 12 reached out to police. Nine names went up the next day. Lauro’s was not among them.

The root problem is the system itself. County law leaves it up to offenders to register themselves. Skipping it is a misdemeanor, but a list that depends on abusers turning themselves in will always have holes. Shelters, rescues, and breeders are expected to check this registry before placing an animal in a new home. Every missing name is a risk to an animal.

“Animals are the most vulnerable portions of our population,” John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, told News 12.

The Suffolk County Police Department should check the registry against court records and add every missing offender right away. The Legislature should change the law so convictions go onto the registry automatically, instead of relying on abusers to sign up. And anyone who dodges registration should face the penalties the law already allows.

Sign the petition to demand a complete, accurate registry before another animal is handed to a known abuser.