Tedisco, NY Republicans Unveil Plan: To Create A Safer New York
ALBANY — State Republican legislators this week unveiled a legislative package they said will create a safer New York.
State Sen. Tom O’Mara, Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay, Sen. Alexis Weik, Assemblyman Robert Smullen, members of law enforcement, victims’ advocates, and members of the Senate and Assembly Republican Conferences on Jan. 23 unveiled the plan they said offers comprehensive policy solutions that supports law enforcement, fixes the state’s criminal justice system, cracks down on illegal gun crime, and protects victims and innocent New Yorkers.
“New Yorkers are not adequately protected under current state law. Qualified judges are prohibited from using basic, common-sense assessments of threat levels posed by the individuals coming before them, and the results have been critically disastrous. We have seen the full measure of what these policies are doing to our communities, and it is abundantly clear we must drastically change course now, before the situation deteriorates any further,” Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay said, in a statement.
Sen. James Tedisco, who represents the 44th Senate District, which includes Saratoga County, joined Tammy Patrick of Johnstown at the New York State Capitol. Patrick’s 77-year-old father, John Lee of Gloversville, was fatally stabbed on June 9, 2022. Lee was allegedly killed by a person who was arrested and charged with assaulting another man the day before Mr. Lee’s murder, and then released.
Prior to the bail reform law passing, the judge would have had the discretion of being able to hold the defendant on bail, preventing the loss of life, Tedisco said.
“My father, John Lee, lost his life to a vicious perpetrator who was on the street because of what has been called the ‘criminal justice bail reform laws.’ I felt obligated to speak out at the Capitol to say that it is not working and is in fact putting the lives of all New Yorkers at risk,” Patrick said. “It is time to give discretion back to the judges and keep violent criminals off our streets. If this had happened before, my dad would be with us today.”
“With Gov. Hochul’s and the Majorities’ criminal justice failures now, there needs to be a new name for ‘crime victims’: It’s ‘Forgotten People!’ I’m proud to join my former constituent, Tammy Patrick (who) is in full support of my bi-partisan legislation to repeal the broken bail reform law and give judges real discretion to protect our communities and close the revolving door of danger and disaster,” Tedisco said.
The Republicans proposed: Creating the SAFER Communities Grant Program to invest in critical investigatory and prosecutorial resources designed to increase case clearance rates for homicide and gun crimes; Repealing HALT (The Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act) to protect corrections officers; Allowing the use of familial DNA to give law enforcement more investigatory tools; Rolling back bail and discovery laws and provide for judicial discretion; Increasing penalties for habitual repeat offenders who commit crimes that harm New Yorkers’ quality of life; Reducing the use of illegal firearms with increased funding for gun interdiction efforts; Increasing penalties for crimes committed with stolen firearms, and mandatory consecutive sentencing for crimes involving illegal firearms; and Making any misdemeanor or felony offense involving an illegal firearm bail eligible, and amending Raise the Age to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds charged with certain gun or gang-related crimes are prosecuted as adults; Authorizing judges to set lifetime orders of protection for certain crimes, such as violent and domestic violence felonies.