NEW YORK STATE - With the recent news that President Trump has signed an executive order to halt federal funding for all locations deemed cashless bail jurisdictions, I thought it timely to talk about how severely the policy of cashless bail is hurting New York, as it is a real possibility that Attorney General Bondi will deem New York a cashless bail jurisdiction.

Cashless bail was first implemented in 2019, and the initial roll-out was a disaster for New York. I was not in elected office at the time, but I was a police officer. I can promise you, had I been in the Legislature, I would have debated passionately against it and would have voted no, because I could see the disastrous results from a mile away.

That is why my Republican colleagues and I have been pushing to repeal bail reform for years and hosting press conferences with law enforcement officers and crime victims to make the progressives who support this law look them in the face and see the pain they have caused.

For example, Tiffany Harris was arrested for assaulting three Jewish women and then was released without bail. After she was released, she went on to assault more people. Majority party members should have to explain to the victims why she was set free to commit more crimes.

When an arrested person is brought before a judge for arraignment, New York state is THE ONLY state in the U.S. that does not allow that judge to consider protecting the community from the offender or the offender’s past criminal acts when setting bail, even if the past acts happened days or even hours previously. This shocks the conscious of the public, frustrates law enforcement officers and undermines public trust in the system.

As a former police chief, I am uniquely aware of the harm bail reform has done to our communities. By letting accused, dangerous criminals roam our streets, we are putting the citizens of New York in danger. I am proud to support overturning the disastrous bail reform laws in order to put people first and improve public safety.

Unfortunately, it seems that as of late, New York is more worried about coddling criminals than supporting crime victims and law enforcement. We have seen this not only with bail reform but also with other pro-criminal pieces of legislation like discovery laws involving Rules of Evidence, Raise the Age, the Less is More Parole Act and the Clean Slate Act erasing criminal records. The preponderance of the New York Legislature hails from New York City, where they seem to have a different tolerance for crime and criminals than we do in upstate New York.

There have been some tweaks made to the bail and discovery laws, but these changes are ‘too little, too late.” These decisions made about criminal justice reform and public safety in Albany are made behind closed doors with only Democrats in the room, leaving out meaningful input from members of the Republican Conference, law enforcement, prosecutors and even judges. This must change, and my Democrat colleagues should work with us and realize that we have experience and knowledge, and while it may not fit their narrative, it is insightful and essential when crafting legislation.

Withholding of federal funds to change policy is not new; it was done years ago with transportation funds at the time of the national 55 MPH speed limit. Closer to home and memory, at the state level, New York ordered school districts with “offensive mascots” to change them or lose state education aid.

I want to bring this full circle to what was said at the beginning of this column. New York is on the cusp of losing vital federal funding, simply because those in charge in Albany are more beholden to their progressive base than to their constituents.

Without changes in our criminal procedure laws, many of our seniors and other vulnerable New Yorkers who rely on federal funding may see it diminished. By refusing to overturn bail reform, many New York legislators have shown their real colors and who they actually side with. I am calling on legislative leaders and Gov. Hochul to immediately repeal bail reform and discovery laws so New York can avoid losing the funding it needs; anything short of that is a betrayal to the people of the state.

Assemblyman Angelino represents the 121st  Assembly District, which includes parts of Broome County, Delaware County, Madison County, Chenango County and Otsego County. Follow Assemblyman Angelino on Facebook.

-By NY Assemblyman Joseph Angelino (R,C-Norwich)