by Eli Hager

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The New York State Legislature this week passed a bill banning anonymous complaints to the state child abuse hotline. If Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the legislation, New Yorkers will now have to provide their name and contact information if they want to make an allegation that someone might be neglecting a child.

This dramatic change in the law comes a year and a half after a ProPublica investigation showed how the hotline had been weaponized by jealous exes, spiteful landlords and others who endlessly called in baseless allegations. Even if a caller didn’t leave their name or any details, and even if the same allegation had repeatedly been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated, it automatically triggered an invasive search of the accused’s home and often a strip search of the children.

We detailed the case of one Brooklyn mother whose apartment was searched dozens of times — by police officers and child protective services caseworkers who never had a warrant and often showed up at her door after midnight — all because an angry former acquaintance kept anonymously calling the hotline about her. She was never found to have mistreated her children in any way.

According to federal statistics, 96% of anonymous calls to child abuse hotlines are deemed baseless after an investigation. Among all allegations of child abuse or neglect, including non-anonymous calls, 83% are ultimately deemed unfounded.

In New York, more........

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