Nassau County lawmakers, police, victims call for overhaul of New York's bail laws
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - Nassau County lawmakers and police, as well as victims, called for changes Monday to New York's bail laws, which eliminates bail for many nonviolent felonies.
County Executive Bruce Blakeman says from April to June, more than 3,000 people were arrested in Nassau County, and 2,600 of them were released without bail - and nearly 200 re-arrested.
"It's a crime wave, it's a crime pandemic, and it's got to stop. The atmosphere of lawlessness that we have in New York state, is a direct result of failed policies in Albany that make our communities less safe," Blakeman said.
In a statement, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said "we renew our call to the New York state legislature to fix bail reform. Discretion must be returned to the judges."