ALBANY — Gov. Hochul wants to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to amending New York’s bail laws.
The governor publicly split from Mayor Adams on Wednesday when pressed about the state’s recently reformed bail laws and whether she supports granting judges more discretion to consider “dangerousness” when detaining someone awaiting trial.
“I am very data-driven. I will absolutely stand behind the fundamental premise of why we needed bail reform in the first place,” Hochul said prior to meeting with representatives from several states to talk about gun violence. “I’ve also said if reforms are needed, based on data that is still being gathered, I’m willing to have those conversations.”
Video of Adams, who joined the governor remotely during a pre-meeting press conference, faded out as Hochul accused opponents and Republicans of “trying to politicize” the issue.
Still, the governor downplayed any differences between her and Adams’ approach and said she remains committed to curtailing crime by working with the mayor and partners in law enforcement as well as the Legislature.
“I’m looking for the data that shows me that bail reform is the reason that somehow crime is going up,” she said. “I’m focused on what I have control over right now.”
The two Democrats agreed that stopping the flow of firearms into New York from out of state is a priority following a wave of gun violence in the city.
Adams and Hochul both noted the urgency of the matter after a Harlem shooting left two NYPD cops dead and an 11-month old was shot in the face in the Bronx.
As part of his “Blueprint To End Gun Violence,” Adams has called for changes to bail reforms enacted three years ago that limited the use of pretrial detention for most nonviolent crimes in an effort to make the criminal justice system more equitable.
The mayor wants to allow judges more discretion to assess a defendant’s “dangerousness” and also proposed rolling back the state’s Raise the Age law to allow more teens to be prosecuted in a bid to stem violent crime.
During his remarks Wednesday, Adams said New York “needs to understand what we are doing legislatively that allows dangerous people to return to the streets.”
His calls have been met with resistance in Albany as legislative leaders flatly rejected the idea of once again amending the state’s criminal justice overhauls.
“We can’t incarcerate ourselves out of these problems. And so we have to as a society, come together and be rational and look at the data,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) cautioned on Tuesday.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie expressed similar sentiments.
But those on the bench, unsurprisingly, believe they should have greater control over whether to release defendants.
“Many judges, if not most of our judges who sit on criminal cases, would like more discretion when making determinations about bail,” Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks told lawmakers during a budget hearing on public safety earlier this week.
The back-and-forth over bail has put Hochul on the hot seat as Republicans and even some fellow Democrats slammed her for not siding with Adams on his proposed overhauls.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) joined several fellow GOP colleagues in calling on the Hochul administration to “take the lead and call on the state legislature to make commonsense reforms to ensure public safety.”
Challenging Hochul in the Democratic primary for governor, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-L.I.) accused Hochul of being “out of touch with the needs of our state.”
“By refusing to add a dangerousness standard and to give judges more discretion, Hochul is standing against common sense and rejecting what I have been saying and what Mayor Adams, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks, and every day New Yorkers are calling for,” he said.
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Well the data shows that you as a democrat are not American but a socialist token to be used and then discarded. She should hope that these criminals who are ” petty criminals” don’t meet up with her or her family.
SHe has lots of Armed security, protecting her sorry butt.. so she’s not scared.
Sorry New York but you have an idiot for your Governor. She’s in way over her head.
When all they seem to have, is IDIOTS for voters, OF COURSE they will have an idiot in office…
Democrats insist on a divorce between crime and effect,,,,,,No fault divorce of course, and we all saw how that has worked since socially implemented into the American culture. Break Promises, Break commitments, break Contracts, break the bank, break hearts, it follows the secular minded as night follows day. Democrats claim small crimes don’t lead to big disasters, just like they claimed a little thing like no-fault divorce would not screw up and redefine what an American family is all about. It’s not about small things or big things but human integrity where you can turn you back and trust your neighbor won’t stab you and rip you off. Foxes and Donkeys, no difference here when you hire one to guard the American hen house where too open a mind in social experimentation leads to open season on all your safe places, and people you thought would be protected, and when chicken Little claims the sky is about to fall,,,,most times these days he is correct.
“We can’t incarcerate ourselves out of these problems”. Wow what a catchy little meme. I’m sure somewhere Will Rogers is jealous. This Bimbo (Hochul) hasn’t got a clue if she says she needs “data” to prove that letting known felons run the streets in greater numbers results in more crime. How is it a city with 8 million inhabitants can’t produce anything but mental morons in government offices?
Until our States stand up and refuse to be dumping ground zero for all of the illegal INVADERS, crime will continue to escalate. The mask mandate has been a very large Christmas gift to EVERY criminal that walks our streets!! Every SOROS funded DA should be immediately terminated for violating their Oaths of Office. They are hired by the people TO UPHOLD THE LAWS ON THE BOOKS! If they don’t like the laws, then it’s their duty to get the laws changed through the proper channels! It’s NOT their job to CHERRY PICK which laws they will prosecute!
When i saw that video clip the other day, of that flight landing in the night, IN A SHUT DOWN AIRPORT, i was wondering. WHY THE HELL DID the cops there, NOT ARREST everyone getting OFF that plane, for Trespassing????