Blakeman releases Nassau's bail reform crime report amid statewide 'crime pandemic'

The report also details top crimes for which suspects were released without bail along with the crimes repeat offenders were rearrested for.

News 12 Staff

Aug 15, 2022, 7:42 PM

Updated 859 days ago

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Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman released the county's bail reform crime report Monday.
Earlier this year, Blakeman signed an executive order requiring Nassau County police to publish a daily report including the names of individuals arrested, their criminal case data and bail status.
The report also details top crimes for which suspects were released without bail along with the crimes repeat offenders were rearrested for.
The county executive has been a critic of New York's bail reform policy, calling it a "crime pandemic."
"We are experiencing this pandemic solely because of the laws that have been promulgated in Albany and foisted upon us that make us less safe," Blakeman says. "Woke, progressive-like bail reform and 'raise the age' are making us all less safe."
The bail reform laws eliminated cash bail in many misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases.
Blakeman says from April to June of 2022, more than 3,000 arrests were made. Out of those 3,000, more than 2,600 were released without bail and 195 were rearrested.
The report found controlled substance charges were up over 77%, larceny charges were up about 53% and criminal mischief were up around 22% compared to the same time period in 2021.
Amy Marion, of Partner Abrams Law, says any reported rise or change in crime being attributed to bail form is a "complete fallacy" and that there is no research connecting the two.
"For every one or two examples that he has, there are examples of individuals that were able to get out, get social program, get drug rehabilitation," Marion says.
She says the reforms help people who cannot afford bail in what she says is an "unfair, racist system."
However, the reform doesn't sit well with others. Juan Vanegas' niece and son were among over two dozen people that suffered major damage to their car when a suspect allegedly threw bricks through their windows.
"We need everybody to be on guard and this bail reform is not really helping at all," Vanegas says.
A detailed look at the bail reform crime report can be found here.