The Legislative Majority Caucus will be holding a hearing on the ill-conceived Criminal Justice Reform passed by New York State. The so-called reform has led to suspects charged with serious crimes being released all over the state. In Nassau County, Police Commissioner Ryder has stated that major crime is up 5% since cashless bail took effect.
The Legislators will hear from law enforcement and corrections leaders, crime victims’ advocates and more. The hearing will be held this Thursday, February 13th in the legislative chamber in Mineola at 11 am. The public is encouraged to attend.
The Majority has also introduced a bill requiring the Nassau County Police Department to produce a quarterly crime report on statistics relating to the effect of cashless bail in Nassau County.
The legislation, that will be heard in legislative committees, will require the police department to produce a quarterly report including:
- The total number of defendants released without bail in Nassau County, the charges against said defendants and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed;
- For defendants who have been released without bail, the total number of bench warrants issued for failure to attend a criminal action or proceeding, including the charges against said defendants and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed;
- The number of crimes charged against defendants while such defendants have been released without bail on a previous criminal charge or charges, including the charges against said defendants and a brief narrative description of the crimes allegedly committed while released without bail.
Presiding Officer Richard J. Nicolello offered the following: "With daily news stories of crimes being committed by those released under this ‘reform,’ it is important for Legislators to learn more about the effects of the so-called reforms in Nassau and for the public to have an opportunity to be heard. Our proposed law will provide lawmakers and residents with quantifiable data regarding those released in Nassau. We can then use this information to make decisions that will help keep our community safe and show state lawmakers exactly how our residents have been affected. I look forward to hearing from residents and other stakeholders this Thursday, to further determine the impact these ’reforms’ are having on our county. "