Rep. Katko, Law Enforcement Accuse NYS Bail Reform Of Increased Crime, Aim To Change Narrative That Police Are ‘Bad’

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Congressman John Katko says he’s trying to build support for law enforcement and change the narrative that police are bad and should be funded. He held his final listening session with numerous law enforcement officials at LeMoyne College on Thursday as part of his role as chairman of the American Security Task Force. Katko admits police services are unfunded in his district, but they are affected by what he calls Albany’s disastrous bail reform.

“When you don’t take the criminals off the streets who have to get off the streets and they come back right away, they’re smart. I’ve been doing gang business, so I know. They’ll be back on the streets right away. suite away, and they will commit more crimes.Bail reform has had an incredibly negative impact on crime in this area.

Katko and law enforcement blame bail reform for the upsurge in shootings, homicides and violent crime in general in Onondaga County and across the state. Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner says they want to strike a balance.

“No one here is saying that there are no opportunities for improvement with our criminal justice system. We just think there has been overcorrection. No one here has said that we have not. opportunities for improvement in the profession.But we certainly must have laws that allow them to do their jobs.

Syracuse Police union officials say there are as many as 200 so-called anti-police bills on the floor of the New York State Senate and Assembly that they believe will make further increase crime if adopted. Buckner says his department and even suburban agencies are losing agents. Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann says this creates a staff vacuum that is counterproductive.

“The constant denigration of the police based on the actions of very few people has made it a very difficult time to find good candidates to be police officers, to keep the good police officers that we already have. Getting rid of the good cops because of the bad what the cops did is not the solution. Dissuading people from becoming police officers, especially the highly qualified people we want, is exactly against public safety. “

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police has sparked a scrutiny of police conduct and protests calling for police reform. Katko says the officer should never see the light of day again and that his actions were symptomatic of a bigger problem.

“This police department should never have let a guy with 19 previous disciplinary actions still be in the force. There are things we can do at the federal level to demand that this stuff not happen or that they don’t get any federal dollars. But we have to. stop this narration that the police are bad. “

Katko says Hell is using information from the listening session and others in New York, Austin and Portland to craft a legislative agenda that supports law enforcement and makes communities safer.

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