UTICA -- When convicted rapist Robert Blainey was caught by authorities following a massive manhunt -- questions surfaced about how police track sex offenders.
Police released a mug shot of Blainey taken after he was released from jail, but he looked dramatically different once authorities tracked him down in Pennsylvania.
It's why Senator Charles Schumer is pushing for a federal law that would require authorities in all 50 states to take pictures of level three sex offenders every three months.
He said they are the most dangerous sex offenders, more likely to repeat crimes.
"We're not saying that the picture every three months is going to be a panacea, but it'll sure be a lot better than the way it's done now," he said.
Police said while Blainey was on the run, he raped and murdered a local motel owner.
"Law enforcement and the public should have had access to a recent close up picture that actually looked like the man they were after," Schumer said. "My guess is if that picture had been released, he probably would have been caught and wouldn't have committed the evil, terrible crime that he did."
Schumer is also backing a plan that would give US Marshals more power to help in these cases.
The Senator said he'll present his plans to lawmakers in Washington as quickly as he can.
