Shooting Victims’ Families and Police Unions Blame Gov. Cuomo’s Bail Reform for Spike in Shootings

By Yehudit Garmaise

   Although Mayor Bill de Blasio might respond to the NYPD’s report of a 41.8% increase in shootings compared to the same period last year, by saying that the city needs to focus more on involving community members to work with the police to ensure public safety, New York City police unions blame the spike in shootings on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s bail reform that took effect in January 2020, when cash bail was eliminated for most misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges.

   The New York Times has reported that “New York is one of the few states to abolish bail for many crimes without also giving state judges the discretion to consider whether a person poses a threat to public safety in deciding whether to hold them." 

   The purpose of the original bail reform law was to reduce the number of people who were jailed while they were awaiting trial because they could not afford to pay bail.

  At a press conference yesterday at which several shooting victims’ families met with the New York City’s five major police unions, many participants voiced the opinion that the bail reform that took effect last January is to blame for the city’s rise in shootings.

     "It's not fair, this is hard to live with; so I'm calling on all the judges, please, you have to stop releasing criminals that are charged with guns," said Eve Hendricks, whose 17-year-old son Brandon Hendricks was murdered as an innocent bystander in a shooting that took place in the Bronx in July 2020.

    In Brooklyn, the bail reform bill raised many concerns about public safety just after it went into effect early last year when Tiffany Harris was immediately released from police custody without bail after hurting and verbally abusing three Jewish women in Crown Heights, only to return to the streets and attack another woman the very next day.

   Although opposition to bail reform influenced the governor to roll it back in April, when he signed legislation that would allow judges to impose cash bail for more crimes, the Brennan Center reports on its website that “the basic framework established by the original bail reform law has not changed. For most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, judges are still required to release people with the least restrictive conditions necessary.”