Lyalls on hand for signing of safety bill

Symbolically marking the 21st birthday of missing University at Albany student Suzanne Lyall, a bill to make college campuses safer was signed into law Tuesday in a short Capitol ceremony tinged with sadness.

Her parents, Doug and Mary Lyall of Milton, watched tight-lipped as Gov. George Pataki approved the legislation that will require police to quickly investigate violent felonies and missing student reports on New York's public and private college campuses, which now must have security plans in place by Jan. 1, 2000. The law also expands a state-run hot line for families of missing students.

"Every student has the right to pursue their studies in a safe environment, and every parent the right to know that their children are going to be protected from violent crimes when they send them off to college,'' said Doug Lyall, flanked by his wife, the governor and three Capital Region lawmakers who helped shepherd the bill through the Legislature in three months -- what Pataki called "a record-quick passage."

Because Suzanne Lyall was 19 at the time of her disappearance, police did not immediately start looking into her whereabouts once her parents realized she was missing. The sophomore, a computer science major, was last seen March 2, 1998, as she headed toward her Colonial Quad dorm after finishing a shift at her job at Babbage's Software at Crossgates Mall. State Police picked up the case from UAlbany authorities soon after, and only in February acknowledged it was being investigated as a homicide.

Generally, police agencies are reluctant to begin such investigations for people age 18 and up until at least 24 hours after their disappearance. Under the new law, that waiting period will now be eliminated on college campuses.

Doug Lyall said he believes the State Police probe was handled "very professionally and competently,'' echoing Pataki's approval of the investigation.

"In this case, it was handled very well,'' said Pataki, whose two oldest children, Emily and Teddy, go to school away from home. "We just want to make sure that the procedures are in place to make sure it's handled well in every instance. . . . We can never, with 100 percent surety, guarantee the safety of every child on every campus. But we can guarantee as a state to do everything in our power to have laws and procedures in place and try to protect our students as much as possible."

Assemblyman Jack McEneny, D-Albany, and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, sponsors of the law in their respective chambers, were on hand for the ceremony. Also there was Assemblyman James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, who is lobbying for passage of "Suzy's Law" -- a bill named for Lyall that aims to increase penalties for assaults and abductions in and around schools.

His wife by his side, Doug Lyall made clear he hasn't given up on one day seeing his daughter again. "We still have that hope that someday, she'll make her way back to us, even though we know it's a real long shot," Doug Lyall said. "If that's not in the cards, we need to get closure. I don't want to go to my grave not knowing."