A string of burglaries in Bay Ridge is raising concern among small business owners, and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis is calling on officials in Albany to get rid of a 2019 bail law that she blames for the surge in local crime.

Maliottakis joined business owners in Bay Ridge Monday to denounce the series of burglaries and other crimes that have happened over the last few weeks in the neighborhood. She blames bail reform policies, enacted years ago, that limit the crimes judges can set bail for.

The move was designed to avoid instances of defendants having to await their trials in jail just because they can't afford to post bail.

Even though the bail law has been modified twice in the last few years to give more discretion to judges, Maliottakis says it's not enough.

In a statement, Gov. Hochul’s office said in part that her "top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, which is why she worked with the legislature earlier this year to crack down on gun crimes and repeat offenders and further expand the types of cases where judges have the discretion to set bail."